tribe
//tɹaɪb//
Forms
- Plural
- tribes
- present (v1)
- tribe
- past (v2)
- tribed
- past participle (v3)
- tribed
- present participle
- tribing
- 3rd person singular
- tribes
Definitions
1.A tribal nation or people.
- This leaves for consideration of this group of small tribes, or subtribes, so far as mapped by the writer quoted, the Teule, Cazcan, and Tecuexe.
2.A nation or people considered culturally primitive, as may be the case in Africa, Australia or Native America.(informal)
3.A socially cohesive group of people within a society.
- She found her tribe among fellow cross-stitchers.
4.An ethnic group larger than a band or clan (and which may contain clans) but smaller than a nation (and which in turn may constitute a nation with other tribes). The tribe is often the basis of ethnic identity.
1.To distribute into tribes or classes; to categorize.
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #3067
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Etymology
PIE word
*tréyes
From Middle English tribe, tribu, from Old French tribu, from Latin tribus. Doublet of tribus.