brother
ˈbrʌðər
noun
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*bhrāter — brother
Overview
Meaning Now
- A male sharing one or both parents with another person.
- A man or boy regarded as sharing a common cause, interest, or spiritual bond with others.
Literal older meaning
male sibling
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
brōþor
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The term is a core Germanic word that traces back to the Proto-Indo-European kinship structure, maintaining a stable form and meaning across millennia of linguistic evolution, evidenced by cognates in most Indo-European branches.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*bhrāter
“brother”
- Proto-Germanic
*brōþēr
“brother”
- Old English
brōþor
“brother”
- Middle English
brother
“brother”
Connections
Word parts
brother
root
male sibling
Related across languages
Latin
frāter
brother
Sanskrit
bhrātṛ
brother
Old Irish
bráthair
brother
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Related to brother
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.