Clan 是一个有些容易与 klan （三K党）相混淆的单词。该词源自拉丁语planta（分枝），15世纪初由苏格兰盖尔语clann（后代、家族）进入英语后，主要用来表示苏格兰高地的“宗族、氏族、家族”，多指由许多有着共同祖先的家庭组成的紧密团结的凯尔特人群体，现在也可以泛指“庞大的家族”，

比如：

She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。

a powerful clan of industrialists从这个概念出发， clan 常引申表示因强烈的共同利益或共同特点而团结在一起的“集团、帮派、宗派、派系”，常作非正式用语或戏谑用语使用，比如：一个势力强大的实业家集团

Friendship is held to be the severest test of character. It is easy, we think, to be loyal to a family and clan, whose blood is in your own veins.名人名言

tribe: a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader clique: a small close-knit group of people who do not readily allow others to join them coterie: a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people友谊被认为是对品格最严峻的考验。我们认为，忠于一个血脉相连的家庭和宗族是很容易的。出自美国著名医生、作家和社会改革家查尔斯·伊士曼（Charles Eastman）。同近义词