brother
pronunciation
How to pronounce brother in British English:
UK [ˈbrʌðə(r)]
How to pronounce brother in American English:
US [ˈbrʌðər]
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- Noun:
- a male with the same parents as someone else
- a male person who is a fellow member (of a fraternity or religion of other group)
- a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
- used as a term of address for those male persons engaged in the same movement
Word Origin
- brother
- brother: [OE] The word brother is widespread throughout the Indo-European languages. The Indo-European form was *bhrāter, from which are descended, among many others, Latin frāter (as in English fraternal), Greek phrátēr, Sanskrit bhrātr, and Breton breur. Its Germanic descendant was *brōthar, which, as well as English brother, has produced German bruder, Dutch broeder, and Swedish broder.=> buddy, fraternal, pal
- brother (n.)
- Old English broþor, from Proto-Germanic *brothar (cognates: Old Norse broðir, Danish broder, Old Frisian brother, Dutch broeder, German Bruder, Gothic bróþar), from PIE root *bhrater (cognates: Sanskrit bhrátár-, Old Persian brata, Greek phratér, Latin frater, Old Irish brathir, Welsh brawd, Lithuanian broterelis, Old Prussian brati, Old Church Slavonic bratru, Czech bratr "brother"). A highly stable word across the Indo-European languages. In the few cases where other words provide the sense, it is where the cognate of brother had been applied widely to "member of a fraternity," or where there was need to distinguish "son of the same mother" and "son of the same father." E.g. Greek adelphos, probably originally an adjective with frater and meaning, specifically, "brother of the womb" or "brother by blood;" and Spanish hermano "brother," from Latin germanus "full brother." As a familiar term of address from one man to another, it is attested from 1912 in U.S. slang; the specific use among blacks is recorded from 1973.
Antonym
Example
- 1. My brother david also taught me a lot .
- 2. His brother ed is the main beneficiary .
- 3. Didn 't her brother move west ?
- 4. If you do , brother , I want you to know I love what you love in this poem .
- 5. Just don 't make the same mistake as brother theo and ask her to sew you a shirt .