Etymologically
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bro

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 02:50. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /brəʊ/, US /broʊ/[1]

Etymology

It is a shortening of brother.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A written or colloquial abbreviation of brother: before 1666 in the OED, the 1660s in Etymonline.[5][2] The plural Bros. is often used in the names of firms.[3]

Semantic evolution

Green's Dictionary of Slang has bro for a brother, literal or figurative, from 1762, and notes its use for a literal brother in British public schools.[6] As a courteous title for a man it is from 1832, and as a familiar form of address from 1918, originally in African American use in the Caribbean and the American South.[7] A fellow member of a social or cultural group is from 1922, especially a fellow black man,[7][8] and a close male friend from 1969.[7] In the 21st century it became a popular prefix in the United States, in words such as bromance.[8] In South Africa bro or bru is a shortening of Afrikaans broer (“brother”).[9]

Timeline

  • before 1666 – an abbreviation of brother.[5]
  • 1832 – a title for a man.[7]
  • 1918 – a familiar form of address.[7]
  • 1922 – a fellow member of a group.[7]
  • 1969 – a close male friend.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (informal) A brother.
  2. (informal, chiefly North America) A male friend, or a friendly way of addressing a man.
  3. (informal) A young man.

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  8. ^ a b Dalzell, Tom; Victor, Terry, eds. (2013), The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 2nd ed., London: Routledge
  9. ^ A Dictionary of South African English on Historical Principles, Dictionary Unit for South African English, https://dsae.co.za