gens

G0087000 (jĕnz)n. pl. gen·tes (jĕn′tēz′) 1. A patrilineal clan of ancient Rome composed of several families of the same name claiming a common ancestor and belonging to a common religious cult.2. Anthropology An exogamous patrilineal clan.

[Latin gēns; see genə- in Indo-European roots.]

gens

(dʒɛnz) n, pl gentes (ˈdʒɛntiːz) 1. (Historical Terms) (in ancient Rome) any of a group of aristocratic families, having a common name and claiming descent from a common ancestor in the male line2. (Anthropology & Ethnology) anthropol a group based on descent in the male line[C19: from Latin: race; compare genus, gender]

gens

(dʒɛnz)

n., pl. gen•tes (ˈdʒɛn tiz) 1. a group of families in ancient Rome claiming descent from a common ancestor and sharing the same nomen. 2. a group of persons tracing common descent in the male line; clan. [1840–50; < Latin gēns. compare genus, gender¹, gender²]

Thesaurus

Noun

gens - family based on male descent; "he had no sons and there was no one to carry on his name"namekinfolk, kinsfolk, phratry, family line, sept, folk, family - people descended from a common ancestor; "his family has lived in Massachusetts since the Mayflower"

gens

(jĕnz), ancient Roman kinship group. It was the counterpart of what is known in other societies as a patrilineal clanclan,
social group based on actual or alleged unilineal descent from a common ancestor. Such groups have been known in all parts of the world and include some that claim the parentage or special protection of an animal, plant, or other object (see totem).
..... Click the link for more information. or sib, and the word has been used in social science as a generic term for such groupings. The members of the Roman gens were descended (or assumed to be descended) from a common ancestor, whose name was used by all the members of the group. The second name was the gens name (e.g., Tullius in Marcus Tullius Cicero). The members were united in worship of the common ancestor, and marriage within the gens was discouraged. In early Rome the gens had economic, political, religious, and social functions; it later came to mean little more than a family name. The Greek gens (genos) was similar to the Roman.

Acronym

Definition

GENS➣Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services (Providence, Rhode Island)

GENS➣General Soviet

GENS➣GE Network Services

GENS➣Generic Exploitation NT Server

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Synonyms for gens

noun family based on male descent

Synonyms

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