Clan

How to spell clan

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce clan

What does clan mean?

1. nounA group of families or people who share a common ancestor, surname, or close allegiance.

Clan in a sentence

• The highland clan gathered every summer for a reunion at the old estate.

• The whole clan turned up to celebrate the grandmother's ninetieth birthday.

Where does clan come from?

Language of origin: Celtic

This word came into English in the early 1400s from Scottish Gaelic clann, which literally meant 'children' or 'offspring' and by extension a whole family descended from a common ancestor. The Gaelic word itself was borrowed long before from the Latin planta, meaning a 'sprout' or 'young plant', the same root behind the English word 'plant'; the early Celtic languages lacked a native 'p' sound and so reshaped it into a 'c', which is why a word about families ultimately grew from one about gardening. In the Scottish Highlands a clan was a network of kin who claimed descent from one founder and often shared a surname and a chief. English speakers later widened the sense to mean any close-knit group of relatives or associates. The single short spelling is straightforward, with no silent letters to trip over.

How the word is built

• clan (from Scottish Gaelic clann: children, offspring, family)