Where does “tribe” come from?
Tribe comes from Middle English tribe, from Old French tribu, from Latin tribus, possibly related to Proto-Indo-European tréyes meaning three, referring to the three divisions of early Roman society.
tribe (English): A socially, ethnically, or politically cohesive...
Definitions
- A socially, ethnically, or politically cohesive...
Ancestry of “tribe”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | tribe | One of the twelve tribes of Israel; Any tribe or... |
| 2 | Old French | tribu | tribe |
| 3 | Latin | tribus | One of the three original tribes of Rome: Ramnes,... |
| 4 | Latin | trēs | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | trēs | three |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | *tréyes | — |
Words derived from “tribe”