Meaning & use
Gentes
Last updated
The plural of "gens," referring to clans or kinship groups tracing descent from a common ancestor, especially in ancient Roman society or in anthropological studies of early social organization.
See it in a sentence
Roman citizens were traditionally grouped into gentes that shared a common family name and ancestral cults.
Anthropologists compared how different gentes across early societies organized property and inheritance.
A note on using this word
"Gentes" is the Latin plural of "gens," a term anthropologists borrowed from Roman law to describe similar clan structures in other cultures.
Words with a similar meaning
clanskinship groups
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