◙ noun 1. a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader • 部落；宗族 »indigenous Indian tribes. 本土印第安人部落。 (in ancient Rome) each of several political divisions, originally three, later thirty, ultimately thirty-five • （古罗马）行政部门（最初为3个，后为30个，最终为35个） [derogatory] a distinctive close-knit social or political group • [贬] 组织严密的社会（或政治）群体 »she made a stand against the social codes of her English middle-class tribe. 她反对她的英国中产阶级社会准则。 [derogatory] a group or class of people or things • [贬] 一群人；一堆物 »an outburst against the whole tribe of theoreticians. 对所有理论家的反感。 (tribes)[informal] large numbers of people • [非正式] 许多人 »tribes of children playing under the watchful eyes of nurses. 一大群在保育员看护下玩耍的孩子。 2. [Biology] a taxonomic category that ranks above genus and below family or subfamily, usually ending in -ini (in zoology) or -eae (in botany) • [生] 族（分类学类目，位列属之上，科或亚科之下，动物学中常以-ini结尾，植物学中常以-eae结尾）
【语源】
1. Middle English: from Old French tribu or Latin tribus (singular and plural); perhaps related to tri- 'three' and referring to the three divisions of the early people of Rome
【用法】
1. In historical contexts, the word tribe is broadly accepted(the area was inhabited by Slavic tribes)However, in contemporary contexts, used to refer to a community living within a traditional society today, the word is problematic. It is strongly associated with past attitudes of white colonialists towards so-called primitive or uncivilized peoples living in remote undeveloped places. For this reason, it is generally preferable to use alternative terms such as community or people