See Also: clan(dictionary)
clan(encyclopedia)
clan(dictionary)

clan (iou)



clan noun & verb. [klan] LME.
[Gaelic clann offspring, family, stock, from Old Irish cland (mod. Irish clann) from Latin planta sprout, scion, PLANT noun.]
A. noun.
A group of (esp. Highland) Scots claiming descent from a common ancestor, acknowledging a patriarchal chief, and usu. all having the same surname. LME.
gen. Any similar tribal division or group; a (large) close-knit family. E16.
A group of people having shared attributes; a party, a coterie, a set. Usu. derog. M16.
A group of objects, animals, plants, etc., sharing common origins or attributes. M17.
b. Ecology. A small local group of a dominant plant species. E20.
c. Geology. A group of igneous rocks of similar chemical composition. E20.
Comb.: clansfolk (fellow) members of a clan. clansman a male (fellow) member of a clan. clanswoman a female (fellow) member of a clan.
b. verb intrans. Infl. -nn-. Combine (together) as members of a clan. L17.
clanism noun clan system or feeling M19.
clanny adjective = CLANNISH L19.
clanship noun a clan system; clannish behaviour; clan membership or feeling: M18.