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gens

 [jenz]   Origin

gens

   [jenz]
noun, plural gen·tes  [jen-teez] .
1.
a group of families in ancient Rome claiming descent from a common ancestor and united by a common name and common ancestral religious rites.
2.
Anthropology. a group tracing common descent in the male line; clan.
Origin:
1840–50; < Latin gēns race, people. See genus, gender1, gender2

Related forms
sub·gens, noun, plural -gen·tes.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Gens is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
gens (dʒɛnz)
 
—n , pl gentes
1.  (in ancient Rome) any of a group of aristocratic families, having a common name and claiming descent from a common ancestor in the male line
2.  anthropol a group based on descent in the male line
 
[C19: from Latin: race; compare genus, gender]

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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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

gens
1847, in reference to ancient Rome, "tribe, clan," from L. gens (gen. gentis) "race, clan, nation" (see genus).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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