confraternity

American  

[kon-fruh-tur-ni-tee] / ˌkɒn frəˈtɜr nɪ ti /

noun

plural

confraternities

1. a lay brotherhood devoted to some purpose, especially to religious or charitable service.

2. a society or organization, especially of men, united for some purpose or in some profession.

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confraternity British  

/ ˌkɒnfrəˈtɜːnɪtɪ /

noun

1. a group of men united for some particular purpose, esp Christian laymen organized for religious or charitable service; brotherhood

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Other Word Forms

• confraternal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of confraternity

1425–75; late Middle English confraternite < Medieval Latin confrāternitās, derivative of confrāter ( see confrere), on the model of Latin frāternitās fraternity

Example Sentences

It is paraded through the streets of the city during a solemn Good Friday procession by the Confraternity of Santa Maria del Suffragio.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2020

Veneration I grow up in Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes where we discuss the differences between worship and veneration.

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2013

Yet his study of a kneeling figure, for a major commission from the German Confraternity of the Rosary, is far too rigid to be mistaken for a Titian or Tintoretto.

From New York Times • May 31, 2012

A letter written in about 1494 suggests that Leonardo was not satisfied with the pittance he was getting from the Confraternity.

From The Guardian • Jul. 13, 2010

Mam is gone when I wake but there’s movement in the room and it’s the priest, Father Gorey, from the Confraternity saying Mass at a table in the corner.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt