fraternity

American  

[fruh-tur-ni-tee] / frəˈtɜr nɪ ti /

noun

plural

fraternities

1. a local or national organization of male students, primarily for social purposes, usually with secret initiation and rites and a name composed of two or three Greek letters.

2. a group of persons associated by or as if by ties of brotherhood.

3. any group or class of persons having common purposes, interests, etc..

   the medical fraternity.

4. an organization of laymen for religious or charitable purposes; sodality.

5. the quality of being brotherly; brotherhood.

   liberty, equality, and fraternity.

6. the relation of a brother or between brothers.

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fraternity British  

/ frəˈtɜːnɪtɪ /

noun

1. Gender-neutral form: community.  a body of people united in interests, aims, etc

   the teaching fraternity

2. brotherhood

3. a secret society joined by male students, usually functioning as a social club

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Other Word Forms

• interfraternity adjective
• nonfraternity noun

Etymology

Origin of fraternity

1300–50; Middle English fraternite < Latin frāternitās. See fraternal, -ity

Example Sentences

These are “sociable, bro-ey men in their twenties and thirties,” Mr. Funt explains, “the kind of guys who have matured since their fraternity days but can still let loose on a bachelor party.”

From The Wall Street Journal

His date was juggling dance practice with a full class schedule, while Berger was conducting research, taking four challenging courses and serving as vice president of his fraternity.

From The Wall Street Journal

"All stakeholders acknowledge that the spirit of this understanding is to protect the integrity of the game and preserve unity within the cricket fraternity."

From BBC

The Parrot Club fraternity invited me to "sing something British".

From BBC

At one fraternity, the motto used to be “Game time is nap time.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• camaraderie
• guild
• sorority