clan

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic clann (“progeny, race”), from Old Irish cland, from Old Welsh plant, from Latin planta (“shoot, offspring”). Doublet of plant.

• IPA^(key): /klæn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æn

clan (plural clans)

1. (anthropology) A group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief.
2. A traditional social group of families in the Scottish Highlands having a common hereditary chieftain
3. Any association of people behaving clannishly, including one's immediate family.
   • 1923, P.G. Wodehouse, The Inimitable Jeeves:

     As a rule, you see, I'm not lugged into Family Rows. On the occasions when Aunt is calling to Aunt like mastodons bellowing across primeval swamps and Uncle James's letter about Cousin Mabel's peculiar behaviour is being shot round the family circle... the clan has a tendency to ignore me.

4. (video games) A group of players who habitually play on the same team in multiplayer games.
5. A badger colony.

• clannish
• matriclan
• patriclan

• Dutch: clan
• German: Clan
• Spanish: clan

• NLCA, NaCl

clan m (plural clans)

1. clan

Borrowed from English clan, from Scottish Gaelic clann (“progeny, race”), from Old Irish cland, from Old Welsh plant, from Latin planta (“shoot, offspring”). As such, it is a doublet of plant (“plant, flora”).

• Audio

  (file)

clan m (plural clans, diminutive clannetje n)

1. clan

• Afrikaans: clan

Borrowed from English clan, Scottish Gaelic clann, ultimately from Latin planta, and therefore a doublet of plante.

• IPA^(key): /klɑ̃/

clan m (plural clans)

1. clan

• “clan” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

clan m (plural clans)

1. clan

• (clan): tribo

Borrowed from English clan.

clan m (invariable)

1. clan
2. team
3. gang

clan m (plural clans)

1. Alternative spelling of clã

Borrowed from English clan. Doublet of planta.

• IPA^(key): /klan/, [klãn]

clan m (plural clanes)

1. clan