brother

[bruhth-er, bruhth-ur]

noun

plural

brothers ,

plural

brethren .

1. a male offspring having both parents in common with another offspring; a male sibling.

2. Also called half brother. a male offspring having only one parent in common with another offspring.

3. a stepbrother.

4. a male numbered among the same kinship group, nationality, ethnicity, profession, etc., as another; an associate; a fellow member, fellow countryman, fellow man, etc..

   a fraternity brother.

5. Ecclesiastical.

   1. (often initial capital letter),  a male numbered among the lay members of a religious organization that has a priesthood.

   2. a man who devotes himself to the duties of a religious order without taking holy orders, or while preparing for holy orders.

6. brothers, all members of a particular racial or ethnic group, or of the human race in general.

   All men are brothers.

7. Slang.,  fellow; buddy.

   Brother, can you spare a dime?

8. Informal.,  a term used to refer to or address a fellow Black man; soul brother.

interjection

1. Slang.,  (used to express disappointment, disgust, or surprise.)

brother

/ ˈbrʌðə /

noun

1. a male person having the same parents as another person

2. short for half-brother stepbrother

3. 1. a male person belonging to the same group, profession, nationality, trade union, etc, as another or others; fellow member

   2. ( as modifier )

      brother workers

4. comrade; friend: used as a form of address

5. Christianity

   1. a member of a male religious order who undertakes work for the order without actually being in holy orders

   2. a lay member of a male religious order

interjection

1. slang,  an exclamation of amazement, disgust, surprise, disappointment, etc

Other Word Forms

• brotherless adjective
• brotherlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of brother¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English brōthor; cognate with Dutch broeder, German Bruder, Old Norse brōthir, Gothic brothar, Sanskrit bhrātṛ, Greek phrā́tēr, Latin frāter, Old Irish bráthair, Old Church Slavonic bratrŭ

Word History and Origins

Origin of brother¹

Old English brōthor ; related to Old Norse brōthir , Old High German bruoder , Latin frāter , Greek phratēr , Sanskrit bhrātar

Synonym Study

Brothers, brethren are plurals of brother. Brothers are kinsmen, sons of the same parents: My mother lives with my brothers. Brethren, now archaic in the foregoing sense, is used of male members of a congregation or of a fraternal organization: The brethren will meet at the church.

Example Sentences

In pretending to share Roman’s affliction, Dennis is also hiding that he had a short-lived fling with Roman’s brother.

From Los Angeles Times

With her brothers sent away to boarding school, Katharine's childhood was a lonely one.

From BBC

But I never had that barrier of 'girls can't play' or 'it's not girls' football' because my family and my brother were some of the best examples of it.

From BBC

To be fair, that part of story comes after the premiere’s cold open, when Dominick’s twin brother Thomas chops off his own hand in a public library.

From Salon

The launch began unusually, with Roy's brother taking the stage for a musical send-off - opening with the Beatles' Let It Be before sliding into Pink Floyd's Mother.

From BBC

Related Words

• relative 
• twin