From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
tribe
n 1: a social division of (usually preliterate) people [syn:
folk]
2: a federation (as of American Indians) [syn: {federation of
tribes}]
3: (biology) a taxonomic category between a genus and a
subfamily
4: group of people related by blood or marriage [syn: kin,
kin group, kinship group, kindred, clan]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Tribe \Tribe\, v. t.
To distribute into tribes or classes. [R.]
[1913 Webster]
Our fowl, fish, and quadruped are well tribed. --Abp.
Nicolson.
[1913 Webster] Triblet
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Tribe \Tribe\, n. [L. tribus, originally, a third part of the
Roman people, afterwards, a division of the people, a tribe;
of uncertain origin: cf. F. tribu.]
[1913 Webster]
1. A family, race, or series of generations, descending from
the same progenitor, and kept distinct, as in the case of
the twelve tribes of Israel, descended from the twelve
sons of Jacob. "The Lion of the tribe of Juda." --Rev. v.
5.
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A wealthy Hebrew of my tribe. --Shak.
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2. (Bot.) A number of species or genera having certain
structural characteristics in common; as, a tribe of
plants; a tribe of animals.
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Note: By many recent naturalists, tribe has been used for a
group of animals or plants intermediate between order
and genus.
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3. A nation of savages or uncivilized people; a body of rude
people united under one leader or government; as, the
tribes of the Six Nations; the Seneca tribe.
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4. A division, class, or distinct portion of a people, from
whatever cause that distinction may have originated; as,
the city of Athens was divided into ten tribes.
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5. (Stock Breeding) A family of animals descended from some
particular female progenitor, through the female line; as,
the Duchess tribe of shorthorns.
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