Synonym for troupe

[fresh_42]

The term's definition is a good description, but I'm not sure I can use the term. It is not self-explanatory.

"He picked as many herbs as he could carry and hurried to catch up with the rout."

Now that I think of it a bit further, I note that we have two words presumably of the same origin. We say "Rotte" for wild boars, and "Rudel" for dogs and wolves. How about "pack" then?

 

[DaveC426913]

Dave. You are one pedantic, particular and picky Canadian sir.

No, not really; I'm predicting what readers will think. That's what matters. If I want them to think "the group of children and youths", then using the word "rout" is not going to get that across without being jarring and possibly ripping them out of the story.

That's what it means to write fiction - get the idea across without making it blatantly obvious how hard you're trying to get the idea across.

 

[BillTre]

pedantic, particular and picky Canadian

or PPPC.

 

[symbolipoint]

Pick a word! Just collect all the best candidate words, reach in, and take one! Now use it in your story. Everything will work just fine.

 

[DaveC426913]

Pick a word! Just collect all the best candidate words, reach in, and take one! Now use it in your story. Everything will work just fine.

Yes, exactly what I said to myself 16,000 words ago. It's how I got through 60+ pages.
But the time is coming to refine my terms. I've exhausted the resources I could think of, that's why I came here.

 

[pinball1970]

I'm 16,000 words in and still no joy.

Who led the group? If it was Dave say, just call it Dave's group.

 

[Lyro]

You might be overthinking this a bit, but that's totally normal when you're deep into a project and every word starts feeling like it carries the weight of the whole setting. If your goal is something that sounds prehistoric without dragging in modern associations, then "remnant" really does hit a sweet spot. It's clear, evocative, and doesn't force the reader into any specific cultural frame. It also reinforces their situation without needing extra explanation.
"Pack", "troop", "clan", etc., all carry baggage you clearly don't want, and inventing a new term would probably pull attention in the wrong direction. "Remnant" gives you flexibility and tone while staying invisible enough that readers won't trip over it.

 

[pinball1970]

You might be overthinking this a bit, but that's totally normal when you're deep into a project and every word starts feeling like it carries the weight of the whole setting. If your goal is something that sounds prehistoric without dragging in modern associations, then "remnant" really does hit a sweet spot. It's clear, evocative, and doesn't force the reader into any specific cultural frame. It also reinforces their situation without needing extra explanation.
"Pack", "troop", "clan", etc., all carry baggage you clearly don't want, and inventing a new term would probably pull attention in the wrong direction. "Remnant" gives you flexibility and tone while staying invisible enough that readers won't trip over it.

Agree- Dave has us all over thinking! Look at the time of my post 4.10am. I woke up (pain meds from hamstring injury had wore off) logged on to pf and thought, "hey, Dave's group!"

 

[BillTre]

Whatevver you end up using, you might want to consider introducing the term in a series of conversations that start with different words (like those suggested) which could help to define the word's use before the group (or whatever) finally settles on the term that gets used in the rest of the story.

 

[DaveC426913]

I went looking for synonyms of clan (thanks @fresh_42, for pursuing it).

What do y'all think of the term kinship? As in: "the kinship".

I came across this definition: "the relationship of being related by blood or marriage, or to a system of social relationships in anthropology. More commonly in social services, it refers to kinship care, where a child is placed with a family member or someone with a close connection to them, such as a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or family friend, when their parents are unable to provide care. "


So it doesn't have to be bood relation, and the social reationship is definitely accurate: my society is established early as communal (the village provides communal care for children, etc.)

If you were to read lines like this:

"He plucked as many herbs as would fit in his pouch then hurried to catch up with the kinship."

would you stumble over the image it evoked?

 

[DaveC426913]

I did not mention that they called themselves (or used to, when they were alive) the SeaBorn, or just the People.

I suppose, to avoid over-repetition, I could throw in a "Seaborn remnant" once in a while.

 

[Klystron]

Alternate term for group of prehistoric children with connotation of animal behavior: gaggle.

Alliteratively gaggle and group begin with letter g.
Gaggle connotes large waterfowl fitting in hunter gatherer culture.
Figuratively gaggle provides an image of baby goslings following their parent.
For modern English speaking audiences gaggle sounds and appears close to giggle, introducing potential humor.

Note that pre-modern groups of humans contained mostly young people compared to current society. Collective terms should tend toward youth.

 

[DaveC426913]

Alternate term for group of prehistoric children with connotation of animal behavior: gaggle.

Too light-hearted. This is a survival drama.

 

[Klystron]

Too light-hearted. This is a survival drama.

Then cohort. Cannot get more serious.

In his final two novels "Stella Maris" and "The Passenger" American writer Cormac McCarthy introduces abbreviation hort to describe a literal (or possibly imaginary) theater troupe. Select members of this troupe including their purported ringmaster and story narrator The Thalidomide* Kid, provide companionship and distraction to a beautiful young mathematician who also calls these special characters horts. Both novels revolve around survival and early death.

Cohort evinces connotations too myriad to list. Certainly Old Cormac being dead having shuffled off this mortal coil, would not object to fellow authors approprating Hort to refer to a group or particularly poignant character.

*An obvious reference to Canada and Canadians knowing thalidomide's history.

 

[DaveC426913]

Then cohort. Cannot get more serious.

Yes. But also too contemporary-sounding for a stone age group.

The writing style tries to keep in the mentality of stone age people. Names of groups of animals is good but I haven't found anything appropriate.

 

[robphy]

I did not mention that they called themselves (or used to, when they were alive) the SeaBorn, or just the People.

I suppose, to avoid over-repetition, I could throw in a "Seaborn remnant" once in a while.

I had asked ChatGPT for ancient terms that might apply to the group you describe.
It led me to this word from the Bible "peleitah" or "peletah" https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6413.htm .
And I asked for the best relatively-common equivalent word.
It came back with "remnant".