gens

Meaning

Noun

• A legally defined unit of Roman society, being a collection of people related through a common ancestor by birth, marriage or adoption, possibly over many generations, and sharing the same nomen gentilicium.
• A tribal subgroup whose members are characterized by having the same descent, usually along the male line.
• A host-specific lineage of a brood parasite species.^[W]
• Plural of gen (Short form of generation).

Related

Similar words

• clan, tribe

Origin

• Borrowed from Latin gēns ("gens; people, tribe"), from Proto-Italic *gentis, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tis ("birth; production"), from *ǵenh₁- + *-tis. kind, genesis, and jati. See also gender, generate, gentile, genus; also Latin gigno.
• Short form of generations