frater

¹ American  

[frey-ter] / ˈfreɪ tər /

noun

1. a brother, as in a religious or fraternal order; comrade.

2. a member of a college or university fraternity.

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frater ² American  

[frey-ter] / ˈfreɪ tər /

noun

Ecclesiastical History Obsolete.

1. the refectory of a religious house.

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frater ¹ British  

/ ˈfreɪtə /

noun

1. a mendicant friar or a lay brother in a monastery or priory

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frater ² British  

/ ˈfreɪtə /

noun

1. archaic a refectory

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Etymology

Origin of frater¹

1555–65; < Latin frāter brother

Origin of frater²

1250–1300; Middle English frater, freitour < Old French fraitur, short for refreitor < Late Latin rēfectōrium refectory

Example Sentences

The club members called themselves "friars" after the Latin word for brother, "frater."

From Seattle Times • Oct. 24, 2011

Reluctantly, the Trib shot down the sherif and later sank the frater.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Archbishop dealt with the observances of the frater from the point of view of the communal life, from that of the food eaten by the nuns and from that of almsgiving.

From Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535 by Power, Eileen

All food was to be cooked in a common kitchen and served in the common frater, in which no meat was allowed.

From Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535 by Power, Eileen

Besides confessing the nuns Busch and his fellow visitors went through the conventual routine with them, showing them how they ought to perform divine service, to behave in the frater and to hold chapters.

From Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535 by Power, Eileen