Definition

1. Noun:
   • A social division or kinship group consisting of people claiming descent from a common ancestor: A phratry is a type of unilineal descent group, typically larger than a clan, found in some tribal societies. It is a grouping of related clans or families that believe they share a distant common ancestor.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • In ancient Greek society, a phratry was an important social and religious unit.
  • Anthropologists studied the tribal structure, which was organized into several phratries.
  • Membership in the phratry conferred specific rights and obligations.

Advanced Usage

• Anthropological/Sociological Context: The term is primarily used in academic discussions of kinship, social organization, and anthropology. It describes a specific level of social structure between the clan and the tribe.
  • The conference paper analyzed the political function of the phratry in Iroquois confederacy.

Variants and Related Words

• Phratric (adj): Pertaining to a phratry.
  • The phratric bonds were crucial for organizing large-scale ceremonies.

Synonyms

• Kin group: A group of people related by blood or marriage.
• Descent group: A social group whose members share common ancestry.
• Clan: A group of close-knit and interrelated families (often a smaller unit than a phratry).

Notes on Meaning

• The term is highly specialized and is not used in everyday modern English. It is almost exclusively found in anthropological, historical, or sociological texts.
• While the reference context mentions "people descended from a common ancestor," which is the core idea, a specifically refers to this as a formal, named social segment within a larger tribal structure. It is more than just a general "family" in the modern sense.

Noun

1. people descended from a common ancestor
   • his family has lived in Massachusetts since the Mayflower