Translations dictionary

hermano

[ehr-mah-noh]

What does hermano mean?

Hermano is Spanish for “brother.”

Just like the English word brother, hermano can refer to a literal brother or to a male friend with whom a person has a close bond.

The nonliteral sense of hermano is sometimes used in English, including by those who do not also speak Spanish.

Example: Dave is my guy—my bro, my hermano.

Related words

Takis, mija, fútbol, wepa, vaya con dios

Where does hermano come from?

blue text 'hermano' on aqua background

The Spanish word hermano derives from the Latin germanus, from the phrase frater germanus, roughly meaning “full brother” (as in a brother by blood relation).

In Spanish, which traditionally uses gendered endings, the equivalent word for a female sibling is hermana. The plural hermanos can mean either “brothers” or “siblings.”

When used within English, hermano most often refers to the figurative sense of the word.

But the literal sense is also sometimes used.

Examples of hermano

“He’s my hermano, (my brother) I love when he tells his story over and over just like I do, he means a lot to me,” Adams said.
Gloria Pazmino, NY1.com, November 8, 2021
Congrats to my hermano Miguel Cabrera on joining the 500 Home Run club! Always loved competing against you and talking ball. Here’s to many more.
@AROD, August 22, 2021

Who uses hermano?

The figurative use of hermano is used in English by both multilingual and non-Spanish speakers. When the literal sense of hermano is used within English, it’s often by a person who also speaks Spanish.

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Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of hermano like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of hermano that will help our users expand their word mastery.

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