Tribe

noun (countable); also occasionally verb (informal/rare)

/traɪb/

A social group comprising families or communities linked by common ancestry, culture, language, and territory, typically pre-dating the formation of modern states and often governed by customary law and traditional leadership.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Constitution's safeguards for Scheduled Tribes acknowledge that genuine inclusion requires not the assimilation of every tribe into the mainstream, but the protection of its distinct cultural identity, customary land rights and self-governance under the Fifth and Sixth Schedules.

Synonyms

clancommunityethnic grouppeoplekin-groupsept

Antonyms

individualnation-statecosmopolitan society

🌱 Word Family

tribal (adj), tribalism (n), tribalist (n), tribally (adv), tribesperson (n)

🔡 Root

Latin tribus = one of the three founding divisions of Rome; tri- = three; via Old French tribu

📜 Etymology

From Latin tribus, originally referring to the three founding divisions of the Roman people; entered English via Old French tribu; related to tri- ("three").

🧠 Memory Hook

TRIbe holds the Latin tri- ("three"): picture THREE founding families banding together into one kinship group under a single chief.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2024 — Society & Social Issues
Prelims 2024 — Tribal Welfare
Prelims 2013 — Tribes
Prelims 2011 — Society & Social Issues
Prelims 2011 — Welfare Schemes

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Tribe” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

👥 Society 📖 Seen in: Caste, Tribal & Minority Dynamics in I...

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