brother

[ bruhth-er bruhth-ur ]

noun

, plural brothers, (Archaic) 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 fraternal
   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 Words From

• brother·less adjective
• brother·like 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

The narrator of Baldwin’s story watches from the audience as his brother, a pianist, plays onstage.

From Los Angeles Times

His brother committed suicide at just 15 years old in 1983, his parents divorced and his “hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana was going through the oil bust.”

From Salon

My brother has always had an obsession with Beef Wellington.

From Salon

"I lead the Senate military personnel panel. All three of my brothers served in uniform. I respect every one of our servicemembers."

From BBC

Elsewhere, rescue teams searching for the bodies of two young brothers who were swept away in the Valencia floods two weeks ago said their bodies had been found.

From BBC

Related Words

• relative
• twin