noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
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
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Received-Pronunciation:/fɹəˈtɜːnɪti/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/fɹəˈtɜɹnəti/
General-American:[-ɾi]
rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)nɪti
CMU ARPABET:F R AH0 T ER1 N AH0 T IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:F R AH0 T ER1 N IH0 T IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The quality of being brothers or brotherly; brotherhood.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A group of people associated for a common purpose.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A social organization of male students at a college or university; usually identified by Greek letters.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Philippines, US, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
people engaged in a particular occupation
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the medical fraternity
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: brotherhood, sodality
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: class, stratum, social class, socio-economic class
5
noun
Meaning 5
a social club for male undergraduates
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: frat
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: club, social club, society, guild, gild, lodge, order
History
Etymology
PIE word *bhréh2tēr From Middle English fraternite, borrowed from Old French fraternité, from Latin frāternitās, ultimately from frāter (“brother”).
Across languages
Translations
58 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
أُخُوَّة
(ʔuḵuwwa)
— the quality of being brothers
Armenian:
եղբայրություն
(eġbayrutʻyun)
— the quality of being brothers
Bulgarian:
братство
(bratstvo)
— the quality of being brothers
Catalan:
germanor
— the quality of being brothers
Catalan:
fraternitat
— the quality of being brothers
Esperanto:
frateco
— the quality of being brothers
Finnish:
veljeys
— the quality of being brothers
Galician:
irmandade
— the quality of being brothers
German:
Bruderschaft
— the quality of being brothers
Lao:
ພາລາດອນພາບ
(phā lā dǭn phāp)
— the quality of being brothers
Macedonian:
братство
(bratstvo)
— the quality of being brothers
Malayalam:
സാഹോദര്യം
(sāhōdaryaṁ)
— the quality of being brothers
Polish:
braterstwo
— the quality of being brothers
Polish:
fraternia
— the quality of being brothers
Portuguese:
fraternidade
— the quality of being brothers
Portuguese:
irmandade
— the quality of being brothers
Romanian:
fraternitate
— the quality of being brothers
Romanian:
frăție
— the quality of being brothers
Russian:
бра́тство
(brátstvo)
— the quality of being brothers
Serbo-Croatian:
bràtstvo
— the quality of being brothers
Spanish:
hermandad
— the quality of being brothers
Swedish:
broderskap
— the quality of being brothers
Thai:
ภราดรภาพ
— the quality of being brothers
Turkish:
kardeşlik
— the quality of being brothers
Afrikaans:
broederskap
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Armenian:
համայնք
(hamaynkʻ)
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Bulgarian:
братство
(bratstvo)
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Czech:
spolek
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Esperanto:
frataro
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Finnish:
veljeskunta
— group of people associated for a common purpose
French:
fraternité
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Galician:
irmandade
— group of people associated for a common purpose
German:
Gemeinschaft
— group of people associated for a common purpose
German:
Vereinigung
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Greek:
αδελφότητα
(adelfótita)
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Italian:
fratellanza
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Lao:
ພາລາດອນພາບ
(phā lā dǭn phāp)
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Macedonian:
братство
(bratstvo)
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Polish:
bractwo
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Portuguese:
irmandade
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Romanian:
fraternitate
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Russian:
бра́тство
(brátstvo)
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Serbo-Croatian:
bràtstvo
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Spanish:
fraternidad
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Spanish:
confraternidad
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Tahitian:
autaeaʻeraʻa
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Thai:
ภราดรภาพ
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Turkish:
dernek
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Turkish:
cemiyet
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Turkish:
kardeşlik
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Turkish:
birlik
— group of people associated for a common purpose
Arabic:
أَخَوِيَّة
(ʔaḵawiyya)
— social organization of male students
Bulgarian:
студентско сдружение
(studentsko sdruženie)
— social organization of male students
Esperanto:
frataro
— social organization of male students
German:
Verbindung
— social organization of male students
German:
Burschenschaft
— social organization of male students
Polish:
korporacja
— social organization of male students
Turkish:
erkek öğrenci birliği
— social organization of male students
