<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>a group of families or households, as among the Scottish Highlanders, the heads of which claim descent from a common ancestor: the Mackenzie clan</li><li>a group of people of common descent; family: Our whole clan got together for Thanksgiving</li><li>a group of people, as a clique, set, society, or party, especially as united by some common trait, characteristic, or interest: a clan of actors and directors</li><li>Anthropology: the principal social unit of tribal organization, in which descent is reckoned exclusively in either the paternal or the maternal line</li><li>a group of people regarded as being descended from a common ancestor</li></ul>