clan |klan| noun a group of close-knit and interrelated families (esp. associated with families in the Scottish Highlands). • often informal a family, esp. a large one : the Kennedy clan gathered for the celebration. • a group of people with a strong common interest : New York's garrulous clan of artists. • informal a family or group of plants or animals : the lily family is a clan noted for its spectacular springtime emergences.
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Scottish Gaelic clann ‘offspring, family,’ from Old Irish cland, from Latin planta ‘sprout.’
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