Clanmates

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals belonging to the same family unit or lineage within a larger social organization
2. Those who share a common ancestry or heritage and have close familial ties
3. Members of a particular kinship group who often interact and support each other within their community

Etymology: "Clanmates" is the plural of "clanmate", a compound built from "clan" and "mate". The second element, "-mate", has its own history: it comes from the Middle English "mate", a companion or fellow, which in its older sense referred to someone who shares a table or a meal. Joined to "clan", it names a person belonging to the same clan as another. "Clan" itself is the older and more interesting half. It was borrowed from Scottish Gaelic "clann", meaning children or offspring, and it reached English through Scots and Scottish usage, where it denoted a kin group descended from a common ancestor. Over time the word broadened in English to describe any close-knit group sharing a common identity, which is why "clanmate" can apply to fellow members of such a group.

Synonyms: kin, relatives, family, tribemates, associates