noun
- plural of gens; in ancient Rome, a clan or family group sharing a common name and ancestor
Usage: historical; Latin term used in English historical and anthropological contexts
Examples
- The Roman gentes formed the basic social and political units of early Roman society.
- Historians study the gentes to understand kinship structures in ancient Rome.
- The patrician gentes held significant power in the Roman Republic.
- Different gentes claimed descent from different legendary founders.
- The organization of gentes influenced Roman law and inheritance practices.