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fraternal

[ fruh-tur-nl ]
/ frəˈtɜr nl /
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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.
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Origin of fraternal

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

OTHER WORDS FROM fraternal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fraternal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fraternal

fraternal
/ (frəˈtɜːnəl) /

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 forms of fraternal

fraternalism, 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
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