brother
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- brotha (Jamaican English)
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English brother, from Old English brōþor, from Proto-Germanic *brōþēr (compare West Frisian broer, Dutch broeder, German Bruder, Danish broder), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (compare Irish bráthair, Latin frāter, Ancient Greek φράτηρ (phratēr), Tocharian A pracar, B procer, Russian брат (brat), Lithuanian brolis, Persian برادر (barādar), Sanskrit and Hindi भ्रातृ (bhrātṛ)).
Pronunciation[edit]
- (UK) IPA: /ˈbɹʌðə(ɹ)/, [ˈbɹɐðə(ɹ)], X-SAMPA: /"br\VD@(r\)/, ["br\6D@{r\)]
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Audio (UK) (file) - (US) enPR: brŭth'ər, IPA: /ˈbɹʌðɚ/, X-SAMPA: /"br\VD@`/
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Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ʌðə(r)
Noun[edit]
brother (plural brothers or (archaic) brethren)
- Son of the same parents as another person.
- My parents love me and my brother equally, even though he is adopted.
- 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.
- Thank you, brother. I would like to thank the brother who just spoke.
- (African American Vernacular) A black male.
- Someone who is a peer, whether male or female.
- 1945, George Orwell, Animal Farm, chapter 1
- And, above all, no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers.
- 1945, George Orwell, Animal Farm, chapter 1
Coordinate terms[edit]
- (with regards to gender): sister
Hypernyms[edit]
- (son of common parents): sibling
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from the noun "brother"
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
male sibling
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male having parents in common
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male fellow member of a religious community
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peer
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
(younger brother) (1), bruder (3)
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Usage notes[edit]
The plural "brethren" tends to be used more in broader senses than in familial ones.
Verb[edit]
brother (third-person singular simple present brothers, present participle brothering, simple past and past participle brothered)
- (transitive) To treat as a brother.
- 1819, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe
- Seest thou not we are overreached, and that our proposed mode of communicating with our friends without has been disconcerted by this same motley gentleman thou art so fond to brother?
Translations[edit]
to treat as a brother
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Interjection[edit]
brother
- Expressing exasperation.
- We're being forced to work overtime? Oh, brother!
Statistics[edit]
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Most common English words before 1923: deep · meet · interest · #473: brother · I've · longer · paid
Middle English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old English brōþor.
Noun[edit]
brother (plural brothers)
Descendants[edit]
- English: brother
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- African American Vernacular English
- English verbs
- English interjections
- 1000 English basic words
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- English words with multiple plurals
- en:Family
- en:Male
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English nouns
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