Hypertext Webster Gateway: "tribe"
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)
Tribe
a collection of families descending from one ancestor. The
"twelve tribes" of the Hebrews were the twelve collections of
families which sprang from the sons of Jacob. In Matt. 24:30 the
word has a wider significance. The tribes of Israel are referred
to as types of the spiritual family of God (Rev. 7). (See
ISRAEL, KINGDOM {OF}; JUDAH, KINGDOM {OF}.)
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Tribe \Tribe\, v. t.
To distribute into tribes or classes. [R.]
Our fowl, fish, and quadruped are well tribed. --Abp.
Nicolson.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.]
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.
A wealthy Hebrew of my tribe. --Shak.
2. (Bot.) A number of species or genera having certain
structural characteristics in common; as, a tribe of
plants; a tribe of animals.
Note: By many recent naturalists, tribe has been used for a
group of animals or plants intermediate between order
and genus.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (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}]
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