blood brother

noun

1. a person's brother by birth.
2. a male person bound to another by ties of great friendship.
3. something usually associated with or thought to exist inseparably from another thing, quality, circumstance, etc.:

   Humility is often the blood brother of patience.

4. a male established in a close relationship with another male through the performance of a specific ritual, as the commingling of blood.

blood brother

noun

1. a brother by birth
2. a man or boy who has sworn to treat another as his brother, often in a ceremony in which their blood is mingled

Other Words From

• blood brotherhood noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of blood brother¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

These studies, which use a peculiar surgical method called parabiosis that turns mice into literal blood brothers, show that aging is not inevitable.

From Popular-Science

The blood intermingled a moment, then they rubbed noses and each repeated the word: "Blood-brother," three times.

From Project Gutenberg

And how I've given you the love of a blood-brother to take the place of the brother who died?

From Project Gutenberg

Slaughter of a member of the totem clan, of a blood-brother, must be atoned for because he is of the totem blood.

From Project Gutenberg

Moussorgsky's style is blood-brother to the spoken language, is indeed as much the Russian language as music can be.

From Project Gutenberg

But many do desire it—kings of the West, kinsmen of the Marquess, above all the Melek's blood-brother.

From Project Gutenberg