brotherhood

Meaning

Noun

• The state of being brothers or a brother.
• An association for any purpose, such as a society of monks; a fraternity.
• The whole body of persons engaged in the same business, especially those of the same profession
• People, or (poetically) things, of the same kind.

Related

Similar words

• fraternity, association, fellowship, sodality, brethren

Broader meaning words

• siblinghood

Origin

• 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.