noun
1.
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.
a.
the principal social unit of tribal organization, in which descent is reckoned exclusively in either the paternal or the maternal line.
b.
a group of people regarded as being descended from a common ancestor.
Origin:
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
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
Related forms
clan·less, adjective
in·ter·clan, adjective
sub·clan, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To clan
00:10
Clan
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
clan (klæn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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 |
| [C14: from Scottish Gaelic clann family, descendants, from Latin planta sprout, | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
clan
c.1425, from Gael. clann "family, stock, offspring," akin to O.Ir. cland "offspring, tribe," both from L. planta "offshoot" (see plant (n.)). Gaelic (Goidelic) Celtic had no initial p-, so it substituted k- or c- for L. p-.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Their decline discredited social models, such as the nuclear family, which had begun to replace the old patriarchal clan system.
Most of this got spun by family retainers into the playful high jinks of a raucous clan.
The complex ties of clan, tribe, and region further complicate things.
As specific tartan was developed by a clan, using local herb dyes.
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