tribal

English Online Dictionary. What means tribal‎? What does tribal mean?

English

Etymology

From Latin tribālis. By surface analysis, tribe +‎ -al, first attested in the 1630s.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹaɪbəl/
• Rhymes: -aɪbəl

Adjective

tribal (comparative more tribal, superlative most tribal)

1. Of or relating to tribes.

2. Based on or organized according to tribes.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

tribal (plural tribals)

1. A design or image that has been influenced by indigenous peoples; especially such a tattoo.
2. (India) A member of a tribe.

Derived terms

• tribal tattoo

References

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [tɾiˈβal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [tɾiˈbal]

Adjective

tribal m or f (masculine and feminine plural tribals)

1. (relational) tribe; tribal (of or pertaining to tribes)
2. tribal (based on or organized according to tribes)

Related terms

• tribu

Further reading

• “tribal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “tribal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “tribal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “tribal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Cebuano

Etymology

Similar vowel sounds of bright and tribe. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

tribal

1. bright; having a clear, quick intellect; intelligent

French

Etymology

From tribu +‎ -al, possibly influenced by English tribal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʁi.bal/

Adjective

tribal (feminine tribale, masculine plural tribals or tribaux, feminine plural tribales)

1. tribal

Related terms

• tribalisme

Further reading

• “tribal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɾiˈbal/ [t̪ɾiˈβ̞ɑɫ]
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: tri‧bal

Adjective

tribal m or f (plural tribais)

1. tribal (of or pertaining to tribes)
2. tribal (based on or organized according to tribes)

Related terms

• tribo

Further reading

• “tribal”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from French tribal or from tribo (“tribe”) +‎ -al (“of or relating to”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: tri‧bal

Adjective

tribal m or f (plural tribais)

1. tribal

References

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French tribal. Equivalent to trib +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /triˈbal/

Adjective

tribal m or n (feminine singular tribală, masculine plural tribali, feminine and neuter plural tribale)

1. tribal

Declension

Further reading

• tribal in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

Spanish

Alternative forms

• tribual

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɾiˈbal/ [t̪ɾiˈβ̞al]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: tri‧bal

Adjective

tribal m or f (masculine and feminine plural tribales)

1. tribal (of or relating to tribes)
2. tribal (based on or organized according to tribes)

Related terms

Further reading

• “tribal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10