hermano

See also: hermanó and Hermano

Chavacano

Etymology

Inherited from Spanish hermano (“brother”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: her‧ma‧no

Noun

hermano

1. brother (male sibling)

   Coordinate term: hermana

2. brother (male fellow member of a religious community)

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥

Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁mn̥

Proto-Italic *genamen

Latin *genmen

Latin germen

Latin germānus

Old Spanish ermano

Spanish hermanobor.

Portuguese hermano

Borrowed from Spanish hermano. Doublet of irmão and germano.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /eʁˈmɐ̃.nu/ [eɦˈmɐ̃.nu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /eʁˈmɐ̃.nu/ [eɦˈmɐ̃.nu]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /eɾˈmɐ̃.nu/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /eʁˈmɐ̃.nu/
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /eɻˈmɐ̃.nu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /eʁˈmɐ.no/ [eɦˈmɐ.no]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɛɾˈmɐ.nu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɛɾˈmɐ.nu/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɛɾˈma.nu/

• Homophone: Hermano
• Hyphenation: her‧ma‧no

Noun

hermano m (plural hermanos, feminine hermana, feminine plural hermanas) (informal, endearing)

1. (Brazil, informal) Hispanic American, chiefly an Argentinian
2. (Portugal) Spaniard

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eɾˈmano/ [eɾˈma.no]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Audio (Peru):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ano
• Syllabification: her‧ma‧no

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Spanish ermano, from Vulgar Latin *germānus (“brother”), from Latin germānus (“of a brother or sister”). Compare English germane. Displaced Old Spanish fradre, from Latin fratēr.

Alternative forms

• mano (clipping)
• Hno, hno (Internet slang, text messaging)
• hno. (abbreviation)

Noun

hermano m (plural hermanos, feminine hermana, feminine plural hermanas)

1. brother
   • 1970, “Los Hermanos”, Atahualpa Yupanqui (lyrics), performed by Atahualpa Yupanqui:

     Yo tengo tantos hermanos / Que no los puedo contar / Y una novia muy hermosa / Que se llama Libertad

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. sibling
3. (informal) bro, dude (friendly term of address for a male of similar age.)

Derived terms

• Gran Hermano
• hermanito
• hermano de leche
• medio hermano
• prima hermana
• primo hermano

Related terms

• hermana
• hermanable
• hermanar
• hermanastro
• hermandad
• hnos.

Descendants

• →⇒ Central Bikol: mánoy, manóy
  • → Tagalog: manóy
• →⇒ Cebuano: mano, manong, manoy
• →⇒ Ilocano: manong, nong — casual, informal (or via Tagalog)
  • → Hawaiian Creole: manong
• → Portuguese: hermano
• →⇒ Tagalog: mano, manong

See also

• fray

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

hermano

1. first-person singular present indicative of hermanar

Further reading

• “hermano”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025