Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

brotherlike

 - 3 dictionary results

broth⋅er

[bruhth-er or, for 9, bruhth-ur] noun, plural brothers, (Archaic) brethren; interjection
–noun
1. a male offspring having both parents in common with another offspring; a male sibling.
2. Also called half brother. a male offspring having only one parent in common with another offspring.
3. a stepbrother.
4. a male numbered among the same kinship group, nationality, race, profession, etc., as another; an associate; a fellow member, fellow countryman, fellow man, etc.: a fraternity brother.
5. Ecclesiastical.
a. (often initial capital letter) 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.
6. brothers, all members of a particular race, or of the human race in general: All men are brothers.
7. Slang. fellow; buddy: Brother, can you spare a dime?
8. Informal. a black man; soul brother.
–interjection
9. Slang. (used to express disappointment, disgust, or surprise).

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE brōthor; c. D broeder, G Bruder, ON brōthir, Goth brothar, Skt bhrātṛ, Gk phrtēr, L frāter, OIr bráthair, OCS bratrŭ


broth⋅er⋅less, adjective
broth⋅er⋅like, adjective


1. Brothers, brethren are plurals of brother. Brothers are kinsmen, sons of the same parents: My mother lives with my brothers. Brethren, now archaic in the foregoing sense, is used of male members of a congregation or of a fraternal organization: The brethren will meet at the church.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To brotherlike
Slang Dictionary
(soul) brother

  1. n.
    a black person's male, black friend. : Another brother took a fall last night.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

brother 
O.E. broþor, from P.Gmc. *brothar, from PIE base *bhrater (cf. Gk. phratér, L. frater, O.Ir. brathir, Skt. bhrátár-, O.Pers. brata, Goth. bróþar, O.Prus. brati, O.C.S. bratru "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. Alternate pl. brethren was predominant c.1200-1600s, but survived only in religious usage. Colloquial shortening bro is attested from 1666. Brotherhood is M.E. broiþerhede (c.1300). In Arabic, Urdu, Swahili, etc., brother-in-law, when addressed to a male who is not a brother-in-law, is an extreme insult, with implications of "I slept with your sister."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see brotherlike on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: