tribe

1. (history, anthropology) An ethnic group larger than a band or clan (and which may contain clans) but smaller than a nation (and which in turn may constitute a nation with other tribes). The tribe is often the basis of ethnic identity.Examples: "the Twelve Tribes of Israel; Germanic tribes; Celtic tribes"; "The Formation of Kazakh Identity: From Tribe to Nation-state"; "If two persons bore the same name, […] ambiguity was avoided by […] indicating their place of origin, the name of the tribe or deme being added for persons of the same town […], and the name of the country or town for foreigners […]."

2. (synecdochically) A tribal nation or people.Examples: "This leaves for consideration of this group of small tribes, or subtribes, so far as mapped by the writer quoted, the Teule, Cazcan, and Tecuexe."

3. (informal, derogatory) A nation or people considered culturally primitive, as may be the case in Africa, Australia or Native America.derogatoryinformal

4. (zoology) A group of apes who live and work together.

5. (taxonomy) A hierarchical rank between family and genus.Examples: "The tempo of evolution in South American hamsters was very rapid – in the course of the Pliocene and Anthropocene 40 genera were formed here, at which time a series of them attained the level of tribe and subtribe (Oxymycteri, Phyllotiini, Ichthyomyini)."

6. (stock breeding) A family of animals descended from some particular female progenitor, through the female line.Examples: "the Duchess tribe of shorthorns"