clan
Ancestral social unit
A clan is a group of families united by actual or perceived kinship, often tracing descent from a common ancestor.
Scottish Highland clans are the most familiar example in English-speaking contexts, with their tartans and chiefs.
More loosely, clan describes any tight-knit group with shared identity or loyalty: The whole clan gathered for Thanksgiving, a clan of gamers.
Social group sharing ancestry
- chieftainLeader of a tribe
- chiefTop-ranking leader
- eldersSenior community members
- councilAdvisory deliberative group
totem · shaman · indigenous · aboriginal · native · warrior · hunter-gatherer · nomadic
Ancestry through generations
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- relativesThose connected by blood
- kinfolkFamily members collectively
- consanguinityRelatedness through shared ancestry
family tree · genealogy · descendants · ancestors · forebears · siblings · cousins · progenitors
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- legacyWhat's passed down
heirlooms · folklore · tartan · crest · motto · history · chronicles · oral tradition
Following in order
- reignSovereign's time in power
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- feudalOf tiered landownership
- shogunateMilitary dictatorship in Japan
house · noble · patriarch · matriarch · heir · lineage · throne · power
Loyalty owed to authority
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
- solidarityUnity among allies
- fealtyPledged devotion to authority
- unityWholeness through cohesion
bond · brotherhood · sisterhood · camaraderie · fraternity · cohesion · faithfulness · support
Exclusive social group
- factionGroup within group
- gangOrganized criminal group
- crewWorking team aboard
- posseArmed group pursuing fugitives
coterie · in-group · inner circle · membership · belonging · exclusivity · rivalry · turf
tribe
Social group sharing ancestry
council · totem · shaman · indigenous · aboriginal · native · warrior · hunter-gatherer · nomadic · matriarchal
bloodline
Ancestry through generations
consanguinity · family tree · genealogy · descendants · ancestors · forebears · siblings · cousins · progenitors · progeny
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
legacy · heirlooms · folklore · tartan · crest · motto · history · chronicles · oral tradition · homeland
succession
Following in order
- reignSovereign's time in power
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- feudalOf tiered landownership
shogunate · house · noble · patriarch · matriarch · heir · lineage · throne · power · domain
allegiance
Loyalty owed to authority
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
- solidarityUnity among allies
- fealtyPledged devotion to authority
unity · bond · brotherhood · sisterhood · camaraderie · fraternity · cohesion · faithfulness · support · trust
clique
Exclusive social group
posse · coterie · in-group · inner circle · membership · belonging · exclusivity · rivalry · turf · identity
- kinshipmother, father, sister, brother, children
- ancestryancestors, kinship, ancestor, ancestry, bloodline
- communitiesgated community, family, retirement community, neighbors, cohousing
- togethernesstogether, united, unity, togetherness, bonding
- village lifevillage, hamlet, thatched roofs, chalet, folk tales
- kinship systemstribe, lineage, dynasty, household, extended family
clanloner
One who avoids company
individualist · lone wolf · individual · solitary · hermit
- Scottish clanAncestral kinship group
- Wu-Tang ClanMartial-arts-themed rap collective
- clan chiefLeader of kinfolk
- family clansRelated households sharing ancestry
- clandestine affairSecret romantic relationship
- clan warsConflicts between kinship groups
clandestine, clans, clannish, clandestinely, clanship, clannishness, clanless