WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Gens
Part of Speech : n.;
Etymology : [L. See Gentle, a.] (Rom. Hist.)
Definition : 1. A clan or family connection, embracing several families of the same stock, who had a common name and certain common religious rites; a subdivision of the Roman curia or tribe.

2. (Ethnol.)

Defn: A minor subdivision of a tribe, among American aborigines. It includes those who have a common descent, and bear the same totem.

pl. Gentes.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913