Fratres

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used in historical contexts to denote brotherhood or sibling relationships, often within religious or fraternal organizations
2. A Latin word meaning 'brothers', frequently used in ecclesiastical texts to address members of a community
3. Referring to male siblings or a collective group of men united by a common cause or affiliation, typically in a ceremonial or formal sense

Etymology: "Fratres" is the plural of "frater," the Latin word for "brother," and it has survived in English mainly in religious and academic settings. It descends from the Proto-Indo-European root "*bʰréh₂tēr," which also gave Sanskrit "bhrātṛ," Greek "phrātēr," and English "brother." The Latin form was used in medieval monastic life, where "fratres" meant the brothers of a community, and the same usage carried into the names of confraternities and brotherhoods. English took the word directly from Latin, so it is a learned borrowing rather than something that came through everyday speech. In practice it appears most often in Latin liturgical texts, in the names of religious orders, and in the old formal address of a brotherhood, such as the "Fratres" used in the rules of certain medieval and early modern societies.

Synonyms: brothers, friars, monks