tribe
pronunciation
How to pronounce tribe in British English:
UK [traɪb]
How to pronounce tribe in American English:
US [traɪb]
-
- Noun:
- a social division of (usually preliterate) people
- a federation (as of American Indians)
- (biology) a taxonomic category between a genus and a subfamily
- group of people related by blood or marriage
Word Origin
- tribe
- tribe: [13] Tribe comes via Old French tribu from Latin tribus ‘division of the Roman people’. This was probably derived from the base *tri- ‘three’, and denoted etymologically the ‘three original tribes of Rome’ – the Tities, the Ramnes, and the Luceres. The ‘head of a tribe’ was known as a tribūnus, whence English tribune [14]; and the verb for ‘give out amongst the tribes’ was tribuere, source of English contribute [16], distribute [15], retribution [14], and tribute [14].=> contribute, distribute, retribution, three, tribune, tribute
- tribe (n.)
- mid-13c., "one of the twelve divisions of the ancient Hebrews," from Old French tribu or directly from Latin tribus "one of the three political/ethnic divisions of the original Roman state" (Tites, Ramnes, and Luceres, corresponding, perhaps, to the Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans), later, one of the 30 political divisions instituted by Servius Tullius (increased to 35 in 241 B.C.E.), of unknown origin. Perhaps from tri- "three" + *bheue-, root of the verb be. Others connect the word with the PIE root *treb- "a dwelling" (see tavern). In the Biblical sense, which was the original one in English, the Latin word translates Greek phyle "race or tribe of men, body of men united by ties of blood and descent, a clan" (see phylo-). Extension to modern ethnic groups or races of people is from 1590s, specifically "a division of a barbarous race of people, usually distinguishable in some way from their congeners, united into a community under a recognized head or chief" [Century Dictionary], but colloquially of any aggregate of individuals of a kind.
Example
- 1. Name one american indian tribe in the united states .
- 2. Some members of the tribe blame the crisis on neglect of the deities .
- 3. China 's ant tribe : millions of unemployed college grads
- 4. No woman had led such a large tribe before .
- 5. They searched the area and found a tribe of cannibals .