 5 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
brother
noun
1: a male with the same parents as someone else; "my brother
still lives with our parents" [syn: {blood brother}]
[ant: {sister}]
2: a male person who is a fellow member (of a fraternity or
religion of other group); "none of his brothers would
betray him"
3: a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their
activities [syn: {buddy}, {chum}, {crony}, {pal}, {sidekick}]
4: used as a term of address for those male persons engaged in
the same movement; "Greetings, comrade!" [syn: {comrade}]
5: (Roman Catholic Church) a title given to a monk and used as
form of address; "a Benedictine Brother"
[also: {brethren} (pl)]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Brother \Broth"er\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Brothered}.]
To make a brother of; to call or treat as a brother; to admit
to a brotherhood. --Sir W. Scott.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Brother \Broth"er\ (br[u^][th]"[~e]r), noun; pl. {Brothers}
(br[u^][th]"[~e]rz) or {Brethren} (br[e^][th]"r[e^]n). See
{Brethren}. [OE. brother, AS. br[=o][eth]or; akin to OS.
brothar, D. broeder, OHG. pruodar, G. bruder, Icel.
br[=o][eth]ir, Sw. & Dan. broder, Goth. br[=o][thorn]ar, Ir.
brathair, W. brawd, pl. brodyr, Lith. brolis, Lett. brahlis,
Russ. brat', Pol. & Serv. brat, OSlav. bratr[u^], L. frater,
Skr. bhr[=a]t[.r], Zend bratar brother, Gr. fra'thr, fra'twr,
a clansman. The common plural is {Brothers}; in the solemn
style, {Brethren}, OE. pl. brether, bretheren, AS. dative
sing. br[=e][eth]er, nom. pl. br[=o][eth]or, br[=o][eth]ru.
[root]258. Cf. {Friar}, {Fraternal}.]
1. A male person who has the same father and mother with
another person, or who has one of them only. In the latter
case he is more definitely called a {half brother}, or
{brother of the half blood}.
Note: A brother having the same mother but different fathers
is called a {uterine brother}, and one having the same
father but a different mother is called an {agnate
brother}, or in (Law) a {consanguine brother}. A
brother having the same father and mother is called a
{brother-german} or {full brother}. The same modifying
terms are applied to {sister} or {sibling}.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
Two of us in the churchyard lie,
My sister and my brother. --Wordsworth.
2. One related or closely united to another by some common
tie or interest, as of rank, profession, membership in a
society, toil, suffering, etc.; -- used among judges,
clergymen, monks, physicians, lawyers, professors of
religion, etc. ''A brother of your order.'' --Shak.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers,
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother. --Shak.
3. One who, or that which, resembles another in distinctive
qualities or traits of character.
He also that is slothful in his work is brother to
him that is a great waster. --Prov. xviii.
9.
That April morn
Of this the very brother. --Wordsworth.
Note: In Scripture, the term brother is applied to a kinsman
by blood more remote than a son of the same parents, as
in the case of Abraham and Lot, Jacob and Laban. In a
more general sense, brother or brethren is used for
fellow-man or fellow-men.
For of whom such massacre
Make they but of their brethren, men of men?
--Milton.
{Brother Jonathan}, a humorous designation for the people of
the United States collectively. The phrase is said to have
originated from Washington's referring to the patriotic
Jonathan Trumbull, governor of Connecticut, as ''Brother
Jonathan.''
{Blood brother}. See under {Blood}.
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
198 Moby Thesaurus words for "brother":
Greek, abbacomes, abbot, acquaintance, adjunct, advocate,
affiliate, ally, alter ego, analogon, analogue, ascetic, associate,
aunt, auntie, backer, beadsman, bedfellow, belonger, best friend,
blood brother, bosom friend, brethren, brother-in-arms, bub, bubba,
bud, buddy, caloyer, card-carrier, card-carrying member,
cardholder, casual acquaintance, catechumen, celibate, cenobite,
charter member, chum, church member, churchman, churchwoman,
close acquaintance, close copy, close friend, close match, clubber,
clubman, clubwoman, coadjutor, cognate, cohort, colleague,
committeeman, communicant, companion, compatriot, compeer,
complement, comrade, confederate, confidant, confidante, confrere,
congenator, congener, consociate, consort, conventioneer,
conventioner, conventionist, conventual, conventual prior,
coordinate, correlate, correlative, correspondent, counterpart,
country cousin, cousin, cousin once removed, cousin twice removed,
crony, daughter, dues-paying member, enlistee, enrollee,
equivalent, familiar, father, favorer, fellow, fellow creature,
fellow member, fellowman, first cousin, foster brother, frater,
fraternity man, friar, friend, grand prior, grandnephew,
grandniece, granduncle, great-aunt, great-uncle, guildsman,
half brother, hermit, hieromonach, honorary member, image,
initiate, inseparable friend, insider, intimate, joiner,
kid brother, kin, kindred spirit, kinsman, laic, lay abbot,
lay brother, lay sister, layman, laywoman, life member, like,
likeness, lover, mate, member, mendicant, monastic, monk, mother,
near duplicate, neighbor, nephew, niece, nuncle, nunks, nunky,
obverse, one of us, other self, pal, palmer, parallel, parishioner,
partisan, pendant, pickup, picture, pilgrim, pillar saint,
pillarist, pledge, prior, reciprocal, relation, relative,
religieux, religious, repository, second cousin, second self,
secular, sibling, similitude, simulacrum, sis, sissy, sister,
sister-german, sistern, socius, son, sorority girl, sorority woman,
soul mate, stepbrother, stepsister, stylite, such, suchlike,
supporter, sympathizer, tally, the like of, the likes of, twin,
unc, uncle, uncs, uterine brother, well-wisher
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Brother
(1.) In the natural and common sense (Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:1, 19).
(2.) A near relation, a cousin (Gen. 13:8; 14:16; Matt. 12:46;
John 7:3; Acts 1:14; Gal. 1:19).
(3.) Simply a fellow-countryman (Matt. 5:47; Acts 3:22; Heb.
7:5).
(4.) A disciple or follower (Matt. 25:40; Heb. 2:11, 12).
(5.) One of the same faith (Amos 1:9; Acts 9:30; 11:29; 1 Cor.
5:11); whence the early disciples of our Lord were known to each
other as brethren.
(6.) A colleague in office (Ezra 3:2; 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1).
(7.) A fellow-man (Gen. 9:5; 19:7; Matt. 5:22, 23, 24; 7:5;
Heb. 2:17).
(8.) One beloved or closely united with another in affection
(2 Sam. 1:26; Acts 6:3; 1 Thess. 5:1). Brethren of Jesus (Matt.
1:25; 12:46,
50: Mark 3:31, 32; Gal. 1:19; 1 Cor. 9:5, etc.)
were probably the younger children of Joseph and Mary. Some have
supposed that they may have been the children of Joseph by a
former marriage, and others that they were the children of Mary,
the Virgin's sister, and wife of Cleophas. The first
interpretation, however, is the most natural.
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