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View synonyms for

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

/ æ /

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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • clanless adjective
  • interclan adjective
  • subclan noun
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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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of clan1

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

Examples have not been reviewed.

The Lyons clan have been locked in a long-running feud with the rival Daniels family.

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It comes days after Israel's prime minister acknowledged that it was arming Palestinian clans in Gaza who were opposed to Hamas.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Israel is arming clans in Gaza that he says are opposed to Hamas.

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Not being able to abduct grade-schoolers is an affront to his clan’s heritage.

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The two men have links to the Lyons crime clan, which along with the rival Daniels gang has been linked to a series of assaults, shootings and fire-bombings across Glasgow and Edinburgh in recent months.

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