adj
Meaning 1
Of or akin to; related; like
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
brethren
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈbɹɛðɹən/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɛðɹən
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CMU ARPABET: B R EH1 DH R AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
plural of brother
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, form-of, plural
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
kinsmen
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: poetic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
The body of members, especially of a fraternal, religious or military order.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, plural, plural-only
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
Members of any congregation in the Anabaptist tradition of the Schwarzenau Brethren, practicing credobaptism and committed to nonresistance and nonviolence, some of whom may wear plain dress and shun modern technology.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: plural, plural-only
Topics: Christianity, Protestantism
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
Members of the Church of the Brethren.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: plural, plural-only, specifically
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
(plural) the lay members of a male religious order
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sect, religious sect, religious order
History
Etymology
From Early Modern English brethren, plural of brother, from Middle English brethren, from Middle English brethere, brether + -en (plural ending). Ultimately from Old English brōþor, brōþru (“brothers, brethren”), influenced by Old English brēþer, dative singular of brōþor (“brother”). Equivalent to brother + -en (plural ending). Compare German Brüder (“brothers, brethren”). More at brother. The vowel change (from o to e) is called umlaut.
Specific use of brethren as a semantic loan from German Brüder.
Across languages
Translations
36 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Atayal: mtsswe — the body of members
- Bengali: ভ্রাতৃবর্গ (bhratriborgo) — the body of members
- Catalan: confraria — the body of members
- Chinese Mandarin: 同胞 (tóngbāo) — the body of members
- Danish: broder — the body of members
- Finnish: veljet — the body of members
- Finnish: veljekset — the body of members
- French: confrérie — the body of members
- French: confrères — the body of members
- French: frères — the body of members
- German: Brüder — the body of members
- German: Brüdergemeinschaft — the body of members
- Greek: αδελφότητα (adelfótita) — the body of members
- Greek: αδελφοί (adelfoí) — the body of members
- Hungarian: hittestvér — the body of members
- Hungarian: felebarát — the body of members
- Italian: confratelli — the body of members
- Japanese: 同胞 (dōhō) — the body of members
- Occitan: confraires — the body of members
- Occitan: fraires — the body of members
- Polish: bractwo — the body of members
- Portuguese: confraria — the body of members
- Portuguese: confrades — the body of members
- Portuguese: irmãos — the body of members
- Russian: бра́тство (brátstvo) — the body of members
- Spanish: hermanos — the body of members
- Spanish: camaradas — the body of members
- Spanish: correligionarios — the body of members
- Spanish: cofrades — the body of members
- Spanish: cofradía — the body of members
- Spanish: hermandad — the body of members
- Spanish: grey — the body of members
- Swedish: bröder — the body of members
- Ukrainian: бра́ття (bráttja) — the body of members
- Ukrainian: бра́тство (brátstvo) — the body of members
- Ukrainian: бра́тія (brátija) — the body of members
Real reading context