fraternal

[ fruh-tur-nl ]
See synonyms for fraternal on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of or befitting a brother or brothers; brotherly.

  2. of or being a society of men associated in brotherly union, as for mutual aid or benefit: a fraternal order; a fraternal association.

Origin of fraternal

1
1375–1425; late Middle English <Latin frātern(us) fraternal (derivative of frāterbrother) + -al1

Other words from fraternal

  • fra·ter·nal·ism, noun
  • fra·ter·nal·ly, adverb
  • in·ter·fra·ter·nal, adjective
  • in·ter·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverb
  • non·fra·ter·nal, adjective
  • non·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverb
  • pre·fra·ter·nal, adjective
  • pre·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverb
  • qua·si-fra·ter·nal, adjective
  • qua·si-fra·ter·nal·ly, adverb
  • un·fra·ter·nal, adjective
  • un·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for fraternal

fraternal

/ (frəˈtɜːnəl) /


adjective
  1. of or suitable to a brother; brotherly

  2. of or relating to a fraternity

  1. designating either or both of a pair of twins of the same or opposite sex that developed from two separate fertilized ova: Compare identical (def. 3)

Origin of fraternal

1
C15: from Latin frāternus, from frāter brother

Derived forms of fraternal

  • fraternalism, noun
  • fraternally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012