BROTHER

brother, blood brother

(noun) a male with the same parents as someone else; “my brother still lives with our parents”

Brother

(noun) (Roman Catholic Church) a title given to a monk and used as form of address; “a Benedictine Brother”

brother

(noun) a male person who is a fellow member (of a fraternity or religion or other group); “none of his brothers would betray him”

brother, comrade

(noun) used as a term of address for those male persons engaged in the same movement; “Greetings, comrade!”

buddy, brother, chum, crony, pal, sidekick

(noun) a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

brother (plural brothers or brethren)

Son of the same parents as another person.

A male having at least one parent in common with another (see half-brother, stepbrother).

A male fellow member of a religious community, church, trades union etc.

(informal, dated) A form of address to a man.

• Listen, brother, I don't know what you want, but I'm not interested.

(African American Vernacular English) A black male.

Somebody, usually male, connected by a common cause or situation.

Someone who is a peer, whether male or female.

Usage notes

• The plural “brethren” (cf. “sistren”, “sistern”) is not used for biological brothers in contemporary English (although it was in older usage). It still finds use, however, in the meaning of “members of a religious order”. It is also sometimes used in other figurative senses, e.g. “adherents of the same religion”, “countrymen”, and the like.

Coordinate terms

• (with regards to gender): sister

Hypernyms

• (son of common parents): sibling

Verb

brother (third-person singular simple present brothers, present participle brothering, simple past and past participle brothered)

(transitive) To treat as a brother.

Interjection

brother

Expressing exasperation.

Noun

Brother (plural Brothers)

Title of respect for an adult male member of a religious or fraternal order.

Title of respect for an adult male member of a fraternal/sororal organization, or comrade in a movement, or even a stranger using fictive kin.

A title used to personify or respectfully refer to concepts or animals.

Synonyms

• Br.

• Bro.

Coordinate terms

• brother

• brethren

• Brethren

• brotherhood

• Brotherhood

• Sister

• sistren

• Sistren

• sisterhood

• Sisterhood

Source: Wiktionary

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Broth"er, n.; pl. Brothers or Brethren. See Brethren. Etym: [OE. brother, AS. bro; akin to OS. brothar, D. broeder, OHG. pruodar, G. bruder, Icel. bro, Sw. & Dan. broder, Goth. bro, Ir. brathair, W. brawd, pl. brodyr, Lith. brolis, Lett. brahlis, Russ. brat', Pol. & Serv. brat, OSlav. brat, L. frater, Skr. bhrat, Zend. bratar brother, Gr. Brothers; in the solemn style, Brethren, OE. pl. brether, bretheren, AS. dat. sing. bre, nom. pl. bro, bro. sq. root258. Cf. Frair, Fraternal.]

1. A male person who has the same father and mother with another person, or who has one of them only. In the latter case he is more definitely called a half brother, or brother of the half blood. Two of us in the churchyard lie, My sister and my brother. Wordsworth.

2. One related or closely united to another by some common tie or interest, as of rank, profession, membership in a society, toil, suffering, etc.; -- used among judges, clergymen, monks, physicians, lawers, professors of religion, etc. "A brother of your order." Shak. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother. Shak.

3. One who, or that which, resembles another in distinctive qualities or traits of character. He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. Prov. xviii. 9. That April morn Of this the very brother. Wordsworth.

Note: In Scripture, the term brother is applied to a kinsman by blood more remote than a son of the same parents, as in the case of Abraham and Lot, Jacob and Laban. In a more general sense, brother or brethren is used for fellow-man or fellow-men. For of whom such massacre Make they but of their brethren, men of men Milton. Brother Jonathan, a humorous designation for the people of the United States collectively. The phrase is said to have originated from Washington's referring to the patriotic Jonathan Trumbull, governor of Connecticut, as "Brother Jonathan." -- Blood brother. See under Blood.

Broth"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brothered.]

Definition: To make a brother of; to call or treat as a brother; to admit to a brotherhood. Sir W. Scott.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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