brother

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broth·er

(brŭth′ər)

n. pl. broth·ers

1. A male having the same parents as another or one parent in common with another.

2. pl. also breth·ren (brĕth′rən) One who shares a common ancestry, allegiance, character, or purpose with another or others, especially:

a. A kinsman.

b. A fellow man.

c. A fellow member, as of a fraternity, trade union, or panel of judges on a court.

d. A close male friend; a comrade.

e. A fellow African-American man or boy.

3. pl. also brethren Something, such as a corporation or institution, that is regarded as a member of a class: "A station that ... relies on corporate contributions or advertising to survive runs the risk of becoming virtually indistinguishable from its commercial brethren" (W. John Moore).

a. Abbr. Br. or Bro. A lay member of a religious order of men.

b. pl. also brethren A fellow member of the Christian church.

[Middle English, from Old English brōthor; see bhrāter- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

brother

(ˈbrʌðə)

n, pl brothers or (archaic except when referring to fellow members of a religion, sect, society, etc)brethren

1. (Genetics) a male person having the same parents as another person

2. short for half-brother, stepbrother

3. (Industrial Relations & HR Terms)

a. a male person belonging to the same group, profession, nationality, trade union, etc, as another or others; fellow member

b. (as modifier): brother workers.

4. comrade; friend: used as a form of address

5. (Ecclesiastical Terms) Christianity

a. a member of a male religious order who undertakes work for the order without actually being in holy orders

b. a lay member of a male religious order

interj

slang an exclamation of amazement, disgust, surprise, disappointment, etc

[Old English brōthor; related to Old Norse brōthir, Old High German bruoder, Latin frāter, Greek phratēr, Sanskrit bhrātar]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

broth•er

(ˈbrʌð ər or, for 9, ˈbrʌðˈɜr)

n., pl. broth•ers, (Archaic) breth•ren; n.

1. a male offspring having both parents in common with another offspring; male sibling.

2. half brother.

3. stepbrother.

4. a man or boy numbered in the same kinship group, nationality, race, society, etc., as another.

5. (often cap.)

a. a male numbered among the lay members of a religious organization that has a priesthood.

b. a man who devotes himself to the duties of a religious order without taking holy orders, or while preparing for holy orders.

c. (used as a title for a brother, monk, or friar.)

6. Slang. fellow; buddy.

interj.

7. (used to express disappointment, disgust, or surprise.)

[before 1000; Middle English; Old English brōthor; c. Old Saxon brōthar, Old High German bruodar, Old Norse brōthir, Gothic brothar, Greek phratēr, Latin frāter, Skt bhrātṛ]

broth′er•less, adj.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	brother - a male with the same parents as someone else; "my brother still lives with our parents" blood brother big brother - an older brother little brother - a younger brother; "my little brother just had his 50th birthday" male sibling - a sibling who is male half brother, half-brother, stepbrother - a brother who has only one parent in common with you sis, sister - a female person who has the same parents as another person; "my sister married a musician"
	2.	brother - a male person who is a fellow member (of a fraternity or religion or other group); "none of his brothers would betray him" faith, religion, religious belief - a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality" sodality, brotherhood, fraternity - people engaged in a particular occupation; "the medical fraternity" Freemason, Mason - a member of a widespread secret fraternal order pledged to mutual assistance and brotherly love fellow member, member - one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization); "only members will be admitted"; "a member of the faculty"; "she was introduced to all the members of his family"
	3.	brother - a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities buddy, chum, crony, pal, sidekick cobber - Australian term for a pal friend - a person you know well and regard with affection and trust; "he was my best friend at the university"
	4.	brother - used as a term of address for those male persons engaged in the same movement; "Greetings, comrade!" comrade friend - a person you know well and regard with affection and trust; "he was my best friend at the university"
	5.	Brother - (Roman Catholic Church) a title given to a monk and used as form of address; "a Benedictine Brother" Church of Rome, Roman Catholic Church, Roman Church, Western Church, Roman Catholic - the Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchy monastic, monk - a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work

brother

noun

1. male sibling Have you got any brothers and sisters?

2. comrade, partner, colleague, associate, mate, pal (informal), companion, cock (Brit. informal), chum (informal), fellow member, confrère, compeer their freedom-loving brothers

3. monk, cleric, friar, monastic, religious, regular priests and religious brothers

Related words
adjective fraternal

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

brother

noun

A person whom one knows well, likes, and trusts:

amigo, chum, confidant, confidante, familiar, friend, intimate, mate, pal.

Informal: bud, buddy.

Slang: sidekick.

Translations

أخأَخزميلعضو في جَمْعِيَّه دينيَّه

брат

germà

bratrkolegakrajan

brorbroderkollegakollega-

Bruder Atze

αδελφός αδερφός σταυραδερφός

frato

hermano compañero

omavelivend

برادر

veliveljeillä

frère compagnon

brat

hittestvéröcsbátyféltestvérfiútestvér

bruder

bróðirbróîirfélagi; reglubróîirreglubróîir

fratello camerata compagno confratello

兄弟

오빠

frater

bendražygisbrolijabrolisbrolystėsvainis

biedrsbrālis

broeder broer

bror kamerat kompis medbror brødrene

brat

irmão

frate

брат

brat

bratбрат

bror

พี่ชายหรือน้องชาย

erkek kardeşihvankardeş arkadaş birader

брат

em trai

兄弟同事教友

brother

[ˈbrʌðəʳ]

A. N (gen, Rel) → hermano m; (Trade Union etc) → compañero m
hey, brother! → ¡oye, colega!, ¡oye, tío! (Sp)
oh, brother! → ¡vaya hombre!

B. CPD brother workers NPL → colegas mpl

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

brother

[ˈbrʌðə^r] n

(= sibling) → frère m
my brother → mon frère
my big brother → mon grand frère

(= monk) → frère m
Brother Otto → Frère Otto

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

brother

n pl <-s or (obs, Eccl) brethren>

(also Eccl) → Bruder m; they are brother and sister → sie sind Geschwister, sie sind Bruder und Schwester; my/his brothers and sisters → meine/seine Geschwister; the Clarke brothers → die Brüder Clarke; (Comm) → die Gebrüder Clarke; oh brother! (esp US inf) → Junge, Junge! (inf)

(in trade unions) → Kollege m

(= fellow man, DDR Pol) → Bruder m; his brother officers → seine Offizierskameraden; our brothers → unsere Mitmenschen or Brüder (geh, Eccl)

brother

brotherhood

→ brüderliches Einvernehmen, Brüderlichkeit f; sense of brother (lit) → Brudersinn m; (fig) → Gefühl nt → der Brüderlichkeit

(= organization) → Bruderschaft f; brother of man → Gemeinschaft f → der Menschen

brother-in-arms

n → Waffenbruder m

brother-in-law

n pl <brothers-in-law> → Schwager m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

brother

[ˈbrʌðəʳ] n (gen) (Rel) → fratello; (Trade Union) → compagno

brother

(ˈbraðə) noun

1. the title given to a male child to describe his relationship to the other children of his parents. I have two brothers.

2. a fellow member of any group (also adjective). brother officers.

3. (plural also brethren (ˈbreθrən) ) a member of a religious group. The brothers of the order prayed together; The brethren met daily.

ˈbrotherhood noun

1. the state of being a brother. the ties of brotherhood.

2. an association of men for a certain purpose.

ˈbrother-in-law – plural ˈbrothers-in-law – noun

1. the brother of one's husband or wife.

2. the husband of one's sister.

brother

→ أَخ bratr bror Bruder αδερφός hermano veli frère brat fratello 兄弟 오빠 broer bror brat irmão брат bror พี่ชายหรือน้องชาย erkek kardeş em trai 兄弟

brother

n. hermano;

___ -in-law → cuñado;

half- ___ → medio ___.

brother

n hermano

References in classic literature ?

And it happened one day that his big brother was fishing in his canoe near the shore, and he heard the voice of a child singing in the Indian tone--

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Brother Mark of the Spicarium is sore smitten with a fever and could not come.

View in context

When the professor had gone, Sergey Ivanovitch turned to his brother.

View in context

He might be jealous of her brother as a rival, but if more had seemed implied, the fault must have been in her misapprehension.

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On re-entering the cloister, the archdeacon found at the door of his cell his brother Jehan du Moulin, who was waiting for him, and who had beguiled the tedium of waiting by drawing on the wall with a bit of charcoal, a profile of his elder brother, enriched with a monstrous nose.

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In particular Don Fernando offered, if he would go back with him, to get his brother the marquis to become godfather at the baptism of Zoraida, and on his own part to provide him with the means of making his appearance in his own country with the credit and comfort he was entitled to.

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Poor Smike was bashful, and awkward, and frightened enough, at first, but Kate advanced towards him so kindly, and said, in such a sweet voice, how anxious she had been to see him after all her brother had told her, and how much she had to thank him for having comforted Nicholas so greatly in their very trying reverses, that he began to be very doubtful whether he should shed tears or not, and became still more flurried.

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Rouncewell," George replies, leaning forward with his left arm on his knee and his hat in his hand, and very chary of meeting his brother's eye, "I am not without my expectations that in the present visit I may prove to be more free than welcome.

View in context

Presently the Wolf came to the large new hut which Umslopogaas had caused to be built for Nada the Lily, and entered it, for there he knew that he should find his brother Bulalio.

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My younger brother was in London when the Martians fell at Woking.

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A short time after we had opened our shops, my eldest brother, one of these two dogs, resolved to travel in foreign countries for the sake of merchandise.

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Nay, take thy hand from out thy pouch, brother, for thou shalt not pay this shot.