brotherly

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbɹʌð.ə.li/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbɹʌð.ɚ.li/

Etymology 1

From Middle English brotherly, from Old English brōþorlīċ, from Proto-Germanic *brōþurlīkaz, equivalent to brother +‎ -ly (adjectival suffix). Cognate with Dutch broederlijk (“brotherly”), German brüderlich (“brotherly”), Swedish broderlig (“brotherly”). Piecewise doublet of friarly.

Adjective

brotherly (comparative more brotherly, superlative most brotherly)

1. Of or characteristic of brothers.

   brotherly love

   • 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter 15, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC:

     Do not despair. To be friendless is indeed to be unfortunate, but the hearts of men, when unprejudiced by any obvious self-interest, are full of brotherly love and charity.

Derived terms

• brotherliness
• brotherly love
• unbrotherly

Related terms

• brother
• brotherhood

Translations

of or characteristic of brothers

• Arabic: أَخَوِيّ (ʔaḵawiyy)
• Armenian: եղբայրական (hy) (eġbayrakan)
• Aromanian: frãtsescu
• Azerbaijani: qardaşcasına
• Belarusian: братэ́рскі (bratérski), бра́цкі (brácki)
• Bulgarian: бра́тски (brátski)
• Czech: bratrský
• Danish: broderlig
• Dutch: broederlijk (nl)
• Finnish: veljellinen (fi)
• French: fraternel (fr)
• Georgian: ძმური (ʒmuri)
• German: brüderlich (de), geschwisterlich (de)
• Greek: αδελφικός (el) (adelfikós)

  Ancient Greek: ἀδελφικός (adelphikós)

• Ido: fratala (io), fratatra (io)
• Irish: bráithriúil

  Old Irish: bráithremail

• Latin: frāternus
• Macedonian: братски (bratski)
• Malayalam: സാഹോദര്യ (sāhōdarya)
• Manx: braaroil
• Middle English: brotherly
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: broderlig

• Old English: brōþorlīċ
• Polish: braterski (pl)
• Portuguese: fraterno (pt), fraternal (pt)
• Romanian: frățesc (ro), fratern (ro)
• Russian: бра́тский (ru) (brátskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: bràithreil
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бра̀тскӣ

  Latin: bràtskī (sh)

• Slovak: bratský
• Slovene: bratski
• Spanish: fraternal (es), fraterno (es)
• Swedish: broderlig (sv)
• Turkish: kardeşçe (tr)
• Ukrainian: брате́рський (uk) (bratérsʹkyj), бра́тський (uk) (brátsʹkyj), бра́тній (uk) (brátnij)
• Uyghur: قېرىنداشلارچە (qërindashlarche)
• Uzbek: qardoshlarcha (uz)
• Volapük: blodik (vo), (♂♀) gemik (vo), (♂) higemik

Etymology 2

From Middle English brotherly, equivalent to brother +‎ -ly (adverbial suffix).

Adverb

brotherly (comparative more brotherly, superlative most brotherly)

1. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (dated) In the manner of a brother, as a brother, as brothers.
   • 1879, Bayard Taylor, Studies in German Literature (page 355)

     Praising and pleading him, / Lovingly needing him, / Brotherly feeding him, / Preaching and speeding him, / Blessing, succeeding Him, / Thus is the Master near,— / Thus is He here!

   • 1881, William Dean Howells, A Fearful Responsibility: And Other Stories (page 159)

     I might have seen him, and talked with him brotherly, face to face.

   • 1908 February 19, Jack London, The Iron Heel, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC:

     "What honest man, who is not insane, would take lost women and thieves into his house to dwell with him sisterly and brotherly?"

References

• “brotherly”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• brothelry

Middle English

Alternative forms

• brothyrly, brothirly

Etymology

From Old English brōþorlīċ, from Proto-Germanic *brōþurlīkaz; equivalent to brother +‎ -ly (adjectival suffix). The adverb was derived from the adjective in the Middle English period from brother +‎ -ly (adverbial suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbroːðərliː/

Adjective

brotherly (rare)

1. Of or relating to brothers or siblings.
2. Cheerful, jovial; like friends.

Descendants

• English: brotherly

References

• “brọ̄̆therlī, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 21 February 2019.

Adverb

brotherly

1. In a brotherly way; in a way like a brother.

Descendants

• English: brotherly

References

• “brọ̄̆therlī, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 21 February 2019.