clan

[ klan ]

noun

1. a group of families or households, as among the Scottish Highlanders, the heads of which claim descent from a common ancestor:

   the Mackenzie clan.

2. a group of people of common descent; family:

   Our whole clan got together for Thanksgiving.

3. a group of people, as a clique, set, society, or party, especially as united by some common trait, characteristic, or interest:

   a clan of actors and directors.

4. Anthropology.
   1. the principal social unit of tribal organization, in which descent is reckoned exclusively in either the paternal or the maternal line.
   2. a group of people regarded as being descended from a common ancestor.

clan

/ klæn /

noun

1. a group of people interrelated by ancestry or marriage
2. a group of families with a common surname and a common ancestor, acknowledging the same leader, esp among the Scots and the Irish
3. a group of people united by common characteristics, aims, or interests

Other Words From

• clanless adjective
• inter·clan adjective
• subclan noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of clan¹

1375–1425; late Middle English ( Scots ) < Scots Gaelic clann < Old Irish cland offspring < Latin planta scion, plant, perhaps directly < British Celtic; compare Welsh plant children

Word History and Origins

Origin of clan¹

C14: from Scottish Gaelic clann family, descendants, from Latin planta sprout, plant ¹

Example Sentences

The next day, a wealthy couple in Los Angeles, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, were also killed by the clan.

From BBC

Later, she takes revenge on her entire clan — whom she considers complicit in keeping her committed at Arkham — by gassing them, strutting around her family’s mansion in a yellow gown and a gas mask.

From Los Angeles Times

Wu-Tang Clan is making history as the first hip-hop act to land a Las Vegas residency.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s just like sometimes “from the slums of Shaolin, Wu-Tang Clan strikes again.”

From Los Angeles Times

Since Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA started chopping up samples and making hip-hop beats on a drum machine nearly 40 years ago, he’s been pulling inspiration from a variety of musical genres and mediums, ranging from 1970s soul and orchestral tracks to kung-fu films.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• band
• faction
• gang
• mob
• sect
• society
• tribe