Brotherhede

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A close bond of kinship and fellowship between siblings or people who feel like family ; an organized society of men joined together by a common cause or profession
2. The fraternal feeling and mutual loyalty shared among those who regard one another as kin ; a formal group of men banded together around a shared aim or creed
3. Mutual affection and solidarity linking members of one family or fellowship ; a company or guild of men organized under common rules and purpose

Etymology: Middle English "brotherhede" is the spelling that gave us "brotherhood," and its ending is the same suffix found in "childhood" and "manhood." The Old English form was "brōþorhād," built from "brōþor" (brother) and "-hād," a suffix meaning state, condition, or rank. Cognate forms of "-hād" appear across Germanic, and it survives in modern English as "-hood." The word is a straightforward compound with no surprising twist in its sense. Its earliest meaning was the condition or status of being a brother, and the sense of a fraternal bond or a group of men united by a common purpose grew out of that core. Its use in English goes back to Old English, and the Middle English spelling "brotherhede" reflects the regular change of the old "-hād" ending to "-hede" in that period.

Synonyms: brotherhood, fraternity, kinship, fellowship

Antonyms: enmity, hostility