Sippen

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to a clan or extended family group connected by common ancestry ; a social unit consisting of related individuals sharing kinship bonds ; a collective of people united by hereditary lineage or familial ties
2. Describing a group of kinfolk related through bloodline or descent ; a communal family organization bound by ancestral heritage ; a network of relatives forming a distinct genealogical group
3. Representing a hereditary family collective often recognized as a tribe or lineage ; a set of persons linked by shared family origins and common ancestors ; an organized group identified by genealogical and familial relationships

Etymology: "Sippe" is a German word for a kin group or clan, and "Sippen" is its plural. In English it survives mainly in historical and anthropological writing about early Germanic societies, where it names a group of relatives bound together by common descent. Old High German "sippa" and Old English "sibb" (kinship, peace between kin) come from the same Germanic root, which also gave English "sib," meaning a sibling or blood relative. The word's older meaning is about relationship rather than people. Early Germanic law treated the sippe as a unit responsible for its members, so an injury to one could bring a feud or a compensation payment on the whole group. The notion of kinship was tied up with peace and obligation, which is why the Old English "sibb" could also mean something like "peace" or "reconciliation."

Synonyms: clan, family, kin