brother

[bruhth -er or for 9, bruhth -ur]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR brother ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural brothers, (Archaic) brethren.

a male offspring having both parents in common with another offspring; a male sibling.

Also called half brother. a male offspring having only one parent in common with another offspring.

a stepbrother.

a male numbered among the same kinship group, nationality, ethnicity, profession, etc., as another; an associate; a fellow member, fellow countryman, fellow man, etc.: a fraternity brother.

Ecclesiastical.

(often initial capital letter)a male numbered among the lay members of a religious organization that has a priesthood.
a man who devotes himself to the duties of a religious order without taking holy orders, or while preparing for holy orders.

brothers, all members of a particular racial or ethnic group, or of the human race in general: All men are brothers.

Slang. fellow; buddy: Brother, can you spare a dime?

Informal. a term used to refer to or address a fellow black man; soul brother.

interjection

Slang. (used to express disappointment, disgust, or surprise).

Origin of brother

before 1000; Middle English; Old English brōthor; cognate with Dutch broeder, German Bruder, Old Norse brōthir, Gothic brothar, Sanskrit bhrātṛ, Greek phrā́tēr, Latin frāter, Old Irish bráthair, OCS bratrŭ

Related formsbroth·er·less, adjectivebroth·er·like, adjective

Synonym study

1. Brothers, brethren are plurals of brother. Brothers are kinsmen, sons of the same parents: My mother lives with my brothers. Brethren, now archaic in the foregoing sense, is used of male members of a congregation or of a fraternal organization: The brethren will meet at the church.

brethren

[breth -rin]

plural noun

fellow members.

Archaic. brothers.

Synonym study

1, 2. See brother.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for brother

relative, twin, relation, kin

Examples from the Web for brother

Contemporary Examples of brother

The brother of a girl who made her debut in New Orleans society was shaking his fists in excitement.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise
Jason Berry
January 3, 2015
Among the other graduates was Officer Kevin Lynch, brother and son of police officers.
Cop Families Boo De Blasio at NYPD Graduation
Michael Daly
December 30, 2014
A 2008 Pakistani raid near Turbat turned up Abdolhamid Rigi, the brother of Abdelmalek Rigi.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan
Umar Farooq
December 29, 2014
Mating with a cousin or brother is safer than risking life and limb to mate with an outsider.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family
Helen Thompson
December 29, 2014
But in the days ahead he, his brother, and the others will be back in the street while their families worry at home.
Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos
Michael Daly
December 28, 2014

Historical Examples of brother

Ask the poor fisherman at the gates, who has been to him as a brother; and he will answer 'Anaxagoras.'
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
She has got a brother, but he don't amount to shucks—he ain't much more'n a three-spot.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Is that brother of hers you told me about still makin' up to that party?
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Your brother was foolish enough to leave his boat in Rushton's care.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Your brother may become entangled in some way with this woman.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for brother

brother

noun plural brothers or archaic except when referring to fellow members of a religion, sect, society, etc brethren

a male person having the same parents as another person

short for half-brother, stepbrother

a male person belonging to the same group, profession, nationality, trade union, etc, as another or others; fellow member
(as modifier)brother workers

comrade; friend: used as a form of address

Christianity

a member of a male religious order who undertakes work for the order without actually being in holy orders
a lay member of a male religious order

Related adjective: fraternal

interjection

slang an exclamation of amazement, disgust, surprise, disappointment, etc

Word Origin for brother

Old English brōthor; related to Old Norse brōthir, Old High German bruoder, Latin frāter, Greek phratēr, Sanskrit bhrātar

brethren

pl n

archaic a plural of brother

fellow members of a religion, sect, society, etc

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

Word Origin and History for brother

Old English broþor, from Proto-Germanic *brothar (cf. Old Norse broðir, Danish broder, Old Frisian brother, Dutch broeder, German Bruder, Gothic bróþar), from PIE root *bhrater (cf. Sanskrit bhrátár-, Old Persian brata, Greek phratér, Latin frater, Old Irish brathir, Welsh brawd, Lithuanian broterelis, Old Prussian brati, Old Church Slavonic bratru, Czech bratr "brother").

A highly stable word across the Indo-European languages. In the few cases where other words provide the sense, it is where the cognate of brother had been applied widely to "member of a fraternity," or where there was need to distinguish "son of the same mother" and "son of the same father." E.g. Greek adelphos, probably originally an adjective with frater and meaning, specifically, "brother of the womb" or "brother by blood;" and Spanish hermano "brother," from Latin germanus "full brother." As a familiar term of address from one man to another, it is attested from 1912 in U.S. slang; the specific use among blacks is recorded from 1973.

brethren

alternative plural of brother (q.v.); predominant c.1200-1600s, but surviving now only in religious usage.