भ्रातृ

See also: भारत, भुरति, भरति, भ्राता, and भारती

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrātṛ). Doublet of भ्राता (bhrātā) and भाई (bhāī).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /bʱɾɑːt̪ɾ/, [bʱɾäːt̪ɾ]

Noun

भ्रातृ • (bhrātŕ) m (Urdu spelling بھراتر) (literary, rare)

1. brother

Declension

Declension of भ्रातृ (masc r-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	भ्रातृ bhrātŕ	भ्रातृ bhrātŕ
oblique	भ्रातृ bhrātŕ	भ्रातृओं bhrātŕõ
vocative	भ्रातृ bhrātŕ	भ्रातृओ bhrātŕo

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ভ্ৰাতৃ (Assamese script)
• ᬪ᭄ᬭᬵᬢᬺ (Balinese script)
• ভ্রাতৃ (Bengali script)
• 𑰥𑰿𑰨𑰯𑰝𑰴 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀪𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀢𑀾 (Brahmi script)
• ဘြာတၖ (Burmese script)
• ભ્રાતૃ (Gujarati script)
• ਭ੍ਰਾਤ੍ਰ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌭𑍍𑌰𑌾𑌤𑍃 (Grantha script)
• ꦨꦿꦴꦠꦽ (Javanese script)
• 𑂦𑂹𑂩𑂰𑂞𑃂 (Kaithi script)
• ಭ್ರಾತೃ (Kannada script)
• ភ្រាត្ឫ (Khmer script)
• ຠ຺ຣາຕ຺ຣິ (Lao script)
• ഭ്രാതൃ (Malayalam script)
• ᢨᡵᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢠᡵᡳ (Manchu script)
• 𑘥𑘿𑘨𑘰𑘝𑘵 (Modi script)
• ᠪᠾᠷᠠᢗᢐᠷᠢ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧅𑧠𑧈𑧑𑦽𑧖 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐨𑑂𑐬𑐵𑐟𑐺 (Newa script)
• ଭ୍ରାତୃ (Odia script)
• ꢩ꣄ꢬꢵꢡꢺ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆨𑇀𑆫𑆳𑆠𑆸 (Sharada script)
• 𑖥𑖿𑖨𑖯𑖝𑖴 (Siddham script)
• භ්‍රාතෘ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩳 𑪙𑩼𑩛𑩫𑩙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚡𑚶𑚤𑚭𑚙 (Takri script)
• ப்⁴ராத்ரி (Tamil script)
• భ్రాతృ (Telugu script)
• ภฺราตฺฤ (Thai script)
• བྷྲཱ་ཏྲྀ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒦𑓂𑒩𑒰𑒞𑒵 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨡𑩇𑨫𑨊𑨙𑨼𑨉 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰráHtā (“brother”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬠𐬭𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 (brātar), Ancient Greek φρᾱ́τηρ (phrā́tēr), Latin frater, Persian برادر (barâdar), Proto-Slavic *bràtrъ, English brother.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /bʱɾɑ́ː.tr̩/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /bʱɾɑː.t̪r̩/

Noun

भ्रातृ • (bhrā́tṛ) stem, m

1. a brother
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 6.51.5:

     द्यौ॒ष् पितः॒ पृथि॑वि॒ मात॒र् अध्रु॒ग् अग्ने॑ भ्रातर् वसवो मृ॒ळता॑ नः।
     विश्व॑ आदित्या अदिते स॒जोषा॑ अ॒स्मभ्यं॒ शर्म॑ बहु॒लं वि य॑न्त॥

     dyauṣ pítaḥ pṛ́thivi mā́tar ádhrug ágne bhrātar vasavo mṛḷátā naḥ.
     víśva ādityā adite sajóṣā asmábhyaṃ śárma bahuláṃ ví yanta.

     Father Heaven, innocent mother Earth, brother Agni, and you, Vasus, grant us happiness; all you sons of Aditi, and you Aditi, alike well-pleased, bestow upon us ample felicity.

2. (by extension) kinsman, relative
   1. cousin (especially paternal cousin)
3. (figuratively) friend

Usage notes

Often used to designate a near relative or an intimate friend, especially as a term of friendly address.

Declension

Masculine ṛ-stem declension of भ्रातृ

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	भ्राता (bhrā́tā)	भ्रातरौ (bhrā́tarau) भ्रातरा¹ (bhrā́tarā¹)	भ्रातरः (bhrā́taraḥ)
accusative	भ्रातरम् (bhrā́taram)	भ्रातरौ (bhrā́tarau) भ्रातरा¹ (bhrā́tarā¹)	भ्रातॄन् (bhrā́tṝn)
instrumental	भ्रात्रा (bhrā́trā)	भ्रातृभ्याम् (bhrā́tṛbhyām)	भ्रातृभिः (bhrā́tṛbhiḥ)
dative	भ्रात्रे (bhrā́tre)	भ्रातृभ्याम् (bhrā́tṛbhyām)	भ्रातृभ्यः (bhrā́tṛbhyaḥ)
ablative	भ्रातुः (bhrā́tuḥ)	भ्रातृभ्याम् (bhrā́tṛbhyām)	भ्रातृभ्यः (bhrā́tṛbhyaḥ)
genitive	भ्रातुः (bhrā́tuḥ)	भ्रात्रोः (bhrā́troḥ)	भ्रातॄणाम् (bhrā́tṝṇām)
locative	भ्रातरि (bhrā́tari)	भ्रात्रोः (bhrā́troḥ)	भ्रातृषु (bhrā́tṛṣu)
vocative	भ्रातः (bhrā́taḥ)	भ्रातरौ (bhrā́tarau) भ्रातरा¹ (bhrā́tarā¹)	भ्रातरः (bhrā́taraḥ)

• ¹Vedic

Descendants

• Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀪𑀸𑀢𑀼 (bhātu)
  • Magadhi Prakrit: 𑀪𑀸𑀆 (bhāā), 𑀪𑀸𑀇 (bhāi), 𑀪𑀸𑀇𑀓 (bhāika)
    • Kamarupi Prakrit: 𑀪𑀸𑀆 (bhāā), 𑀪𑀸𑀇 (bhāi)
      • Early Assamese: ভাই (bhai)
        • Assamese: ভাই (bhai)
    • Old Bengali:
      • Bengali: ভাই (bhai), ভাইয়া (bhaiẏa)
    • Sylheti: ꠜꠣꠁ (bái)
  • Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀪𑀸𑀉 (bhāu)
    • Konkani: bhāv

      Devanagari script: भाव

      Kannada script: ಭಾವ್

      Latin script: bhav

    • Old Marathi:

      Devanagari script: भाउ (bhāu), भाव (bhāva)

      Modi script: 𑘥𑘰𑘄 (bhāu), 𑘥𑘰𑘪 (bhāva)

      • Marathi: भाऊ (bhāū)
  • Niya Prakrit: 𐨧𐨿𐨪𐨟 (bhrata), 𐨧𐨿𐨪𐨟𐨂 (bhratu)
  • Paisaci Prakrit:
    • Punjabi: ਭਰਾ (bharā) / بھرا (bhrā)
  • Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀪𑀸𑀆 (bhāā), 𑀪𑀸𑀇 (bhāi)
    • Old Gujarati: भाई (bhāī)
      • Gujarati: ભાઈ (bhāī)
    • Old Hindi:
      • Hindi: भाई (bhāī)
      • Urdu: بھائی (bhāī)
      • → English: bhai
  • Romani: phral (see there for further descendants)
• Dardic
  • Kashmiri: بوے (bōy)
• Pali: bhātar
• → Bengali: ভ্রাতা (bhrata)
• → Hindi: भ्राता (bhrātā), भ्रातृ (bhrātŕ)
• → Telugu: భ్రాత (bhrāta)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899), “भ्रातृ”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 770, column 2.