Definition of GENS

gens

Plural: genses, gentes

Noun

  • An ancient Roman clan, tracing common ancestry.
  • family based on male descent
  • informal term for information
  • A legally defined unit of Roman society, being a collection of people related through a common ancestor by birth, marriage or adoption, possibly over many generations, and sharing the same nomen gentilicium.
  • A tribal subgroup whose members are characterized by having the same descent, usually along the male line; clan.
  • A host-specific lineage of a brood parasite species.^([W])
  • plural of gen (clipping of generation).

Examples

  • The GENS of competitive Scrabble players sometimes feel like a secret society.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Latin gēns (“gens; people, tribe”), from Proto-Italic *gentis, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tis (“birth; production”), from *ǵenh₁- (“to beget; to give birth; to produce”) + *-tis (suffix forming abstract or action nouns from verb roots). Doublet of kind, genesis, and jati. See also gender, generate, gentile, genus; also Latin gigno (“I bring forth”).

Synonyms

gen, name, clan, tribe

Scrabble Score: 5

gens: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
gens: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
gens: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 7

gens: valid Words With Friends Word