brotherly

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbɹʌð.ə.li/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbɹʌð.ɚ.li/

Etymology 1

From Middle English brotherly, from Old English brōþorlīċ, from Proto-Germanic *brōþurlīkaz, equivalent to brother +‎ -ly (adjectival suffix). Cognate with Dutch broederlijk (“brotherly”), German brüderlich (“brotherly”), Swedish broderlig (“brotherly”).

Adjective

brotherly (comparative more brotherly, superlative most brotherly)

1. Of or characteristic of brothers.

   brotherly love

   • 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter 15, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC:

     Do not despair. To be friendless is indeed to be unfortunate, but the hearts of men, when unprejudiced by any obvious self-interest, are full of brotherly love and charity.

Derived terms

• brotherliness
• brotherly love
• unbrotherly

 

Related terms

• brother
• brotherhood

Translations

of or characteristic of brothers

Arabic: أَخَوِيّ (ʔaḵawiyy) Armenian: եղբայրական (hy) (eġbayrakan) Aromanian: frãtsescu Azerbaijani: qardaşcasına Belarusian: братэ́рскі (bratérski), бра́цкі (brácki) Bulgarian: бра́тски (brátski) Czech: bratrský Danish: broderlig Dutch: broederlijk (nl) Finnish: veljellinen (fi) French: fraternel (fr) Georgian: ძმური (ʒmuri) German: brüderlich (de), geschwisterlich (de) Greek: αδελφικός (el) (adelfikós) Ancient: ἀδελφικός (adelphikós) Ido: fratala (io), fratatra (io) Irish: bráithriúil Old Irish: bráithremail Latin: frāternus Macedonian: братски (bratski) Malayalam: സാഹോദര്യ (sāhōdarya) Manx: braaroil Middle English: brotherly Norwegian: Bokmål: broderlig Old English: brōþorlīċ Polish: braterski (pl) Portuguese: fraterno (pt), fraternal (pt) Romanian: frățesc (ro), fratern (ro) Russian: бра́тский (ru) (brátskij) Scottish Gaelic: bràithreil Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: бра̀тскӣ Roman: bràtskī (sh) Slovak: bratský Slovene: bratski Spanish: fraternal (es), fraterno (es) Swedish: broderlig (sv) Turkish: kardeşçe (tr) Ukrainian: брате́рський (uk) (bratérsʹkyj), бра́тський (uk) (brátsʹkyj), бра́тній (uk) (brátnij) Uyghur: قېرىنداشلارچە (qërindashlarche) Uzbek: qardoshlarcha (uz) Volapük: blodik (vo), (♂♀) gemik (vo), (♂) higemik

Etymology 2

From Middle English brotherly, equivalent to brother +‎ -ly (adverbial suffix).

Adverb

brotherly (comparative more brotherly, superlative most brotherly)

1. In the manner of a brother, as a brother, as brothers.
   • 1908 February 19, Jack London, The Iron Heel, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC:

     "What honest man, who is not insane, would take lost women and thieves into his house to dwell with him sisterly and brotherly?"

Anagrams

• brothelry

Middle English

Alternative forms

• brothyrly, brothirly

Etymology

From Old English brōþorlīċ, from Proto-Germanic *brōþurlīkaz; equivalent to brother +‎ -ly (adjectival suffix). The adverb was derived from the adjective in the Middle English period from brother +‎ -ly (adverbial suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbroːðərliː/

Adjective

brotherly (rare)

1. Of or relating to brothers or siblings.
2. Cheerful, jovial; like friends.

Descendants

• English: brotherly

References

• “brọ̄̆therlī, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-02-21.

Adverb

brotherly

1. In a brotherly way; in a way like a brother.

Descendants

• English: brotherly

References

• “brọ̄̆therlī, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-02-21.