Brotherhood
/ˈbɹʌð.ɚˌhʊd/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The state of being brothers or a brother (also figuratively). countable, uncountable
"brotherdom"
- 2 the feeling that men should treat one another like brothers wordnet
- 3 An association of people for any purpose, such as a society of monks; a fraternity. countable, uncountable
"James formed a kind of brotherhood for ex-pats who were working in Valencia."
- 4 people engaged in a particular occupation wordnet
- 5 All the people engaged in the same business, especially those of the same profession countable, uncountable
"the legal brotherhood"
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- 6 an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer wordnet
- 7 People, or (poetically) things, of the same kind. countable, uncountable
"a brotherhood of venerable trees"
- 8 the kinship relation between a male offspring and the siblings wordnet
Example
More examples"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."
Etymology
From Middle English brotherhod, equivalent to brother + -hood, from earlier brotherhede, alteration (influenced by suffixes in -hood, -head) of Early Middle English brotherrede (“brotherhood, fraternity”), from Old English brōþorrǣden (“brotherhood, fellowship”), equivalent to brother + -red (see brotherred). More at brother, -red. Piecewise doublet of friarhood.