1. (n.) A tribe or collection of families\, united under a chieftain, regarded as having the same common ancestor, and bearing the same surname; as, the clan of Macdonald.

2. (n.) A clique; a sect, society, or body of persons; esp., a body of persons united by some common interest or pursuit; -- sometimes used contemptuously.

animal kingdom ashram band blood body bracket branch brand breed brood brotherhood bunch cabal cadre camarilla camp cast caste category cell character charmed circle circle class clique closed circle colony color commonwealth commune community coterie crew crowd deme denomination description designation division dynasty economic class elite elite group endogamous group estate extended family faction family feather fellowship folk form fraternity gang genre gens genus grade grain group grouping head heading house ilk ingroup inner circle junta junto kidney kin kind kindred kinship group label level line lineage lot make manner mark matriclan mob moiety mold nation nature nuclear family number order outfit party patriclan people persuasion phratria phratry phyle phylum pigeonhole plant kingdom position predicament race rank rating ring rubric section sept set settlement shape sly social class society sort species stamp station status stem stirps stock strain stratum stripe style subcaste subdivision subgroup suborder the like of the likes of title totem tribe type variety we-group