Adelphi
/əˈdɛlfi/noun
A plural Greek-derived name or term meaning “brothers,” used in names and references to brotherhood.
Did you know?Adelphi comes from Greek adelphoi, the plural of adelphos, and that word is tied to delphys, meaning “womb,” so the root idea is not just brotherhood — it’s “from the same womb.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
adelphos / adelphoi
“brother / brothers”
Ancient Greek
Greek
a- + delphys
“literally “from the same womb””
Classical / Hellenistic Greek
Greek
Adelphoi
“the brothers; brotherhood”
Latin
Latin
adelphi
“borrowed Greek form used in learned contexts”
Modern English
English
Adelphi
“a learned or proper-name form referring to brothers or brotherhood”
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