clan: Meaning and Definition of

clan

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, esp. as united by some common trait, characteristic, or interest: a clan of actors and directors.
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.