Brotherhood
/ˈbrʌðərˌhʊd/noun
The state or condition of being brothers, or a group united by close fellowship.
Did you know?The word is built from an old Germanic kinship term plus the suffix -hood, which once meant a state or condition—so it literally names the condition of being brothers, not a mystical secret society.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*broþēr
“brother”
Old English
OE
brōþor
“brother”
Old English
OE
-hād
“state, rank, condition”
Middle English
ME
broþerhod
“the condition or relationship of brothers; fellowship”
Modern English
English
brotherhood
“the state of being brothers; a close fellowship or association”
Explore more surprising origins