fraternal

[fruh-tur-nl]

See more synonyms for fraternal on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or befitting a brother or brothers; brotherly.
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

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

Related formsfra·ter·nal·ism, nounfra·ter·nal·ly, adverbin·ter·fra·ter·nal, adjectivein·ter·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverbnon·fra·ter·nal, adjectivenon·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverbpre·fra·ter·nal, adjectivepre·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverbqua·si-fra·ter·nal, adjectivequa·si-fra·ter·nal·ly, adverbun·fra·ter·nal, adjectiveun·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for fraternal

congenial, friendly, intimate, kind

Examples from the Web for fraternal

Contemporary Examples of fraternal

In hindsight, however, he feels that the suspension has “had a positive impact on the fraternal community.”
Fraternities in a Post-UVA World
Samantha Allen
December 12, 2014
How many people get called by the Fraternal Order of the Police and say no?
The GOP and Police Unions: A Love Story
Eleanor Clift
December 12, 2014
The nonvoters include 16 experts, eight fraternal delegates and 38 auditors of whom 12 are married couples.
The Pope vs. the Church on Family Values?
Barbie Latza Nadeau
October 6, 2014
This was more than just the fraternal bond between firefighters and police officers; this was family.
The Resilient City: New York After 9/11
John Avlon
September 11, 2014
He was also the local president of the Union League, a fraternal organization closely aligned with the Republican Party.
Enough With This 'Lost Cause' Nonsense
Justin Green
February 19, 2013

Historical Examples of fraternal

It is as if there were now but one and the same soil, reconciled and fraternal.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
It seems probable that fraternal polyandry must formerly have been practised.
The Truth About Woman
C. Gasquoine Hartley
A burst of fraternal feverishness made him eager to get to it.
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
Fraternal affection was banished the halls of Castle Feracht.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume VI
Various
Fraternal to the last, he left her for the quieter company of Mrs. Munt.
Howards End
E. M. Forster

British Dictionary definitions for fraternal

fraternal

adjective

of or suitable to a brother; brotherly
of or relating to a fraternity
designating either or both of a pair of twins of the same or opposite sex that developed from two separate fertilized ovaCompare identical (def. 3)

Derived Formsfraternalism, nounfraternally, adverb

Word Origin for fraternal

C15: from Latin frāternus, from frāter brother

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 fraternal

adj.

early 15c., from Middle French fraternel and directly from Medieval Latin fraternalis, from Latin fraternus "brotherly" (see fraternity). The noun meaning "fraternal twin" is recorded by 1911.

fraternal in Medicine

fraternal

[frə-tûr′nəl]

adj.

Of or relating to brothers.
Of, relating to, or being a twin developed from two separately fertilized ova; dizygotic.