frère

Pronunciation

• IPA: /fʁɛʁ/^[1]
• IPA (Louisiana): /fɾæ(ɾ)/^[1]

Forms

frère m (plural frères)^[1] Early Old French fradre (842), then fredre and frere (1080).^[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French frere, inherited from Latin frāter (“brother”), accusative “frātrem”.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} The Latin word continues Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”), as do Ancient Greek φράτηρ (phrátēr, “member of a brotherhood”), German Bruder and English brother.^[3][6][1] In the old patriarchal system the word probably named men of the same generation, not necessarily born of the same parents; for the narrower bond, Greek used ἀδελφός (adelphós), and Latin “frāter germānus” “brother of the same blood”, whence Spanish hermano and Portuguese irmão.^[3][6]

Latin “frāter” also meant an ally, a friend and a member of a brotherhood, and Christians called one another so; hence it came to mean “monk”, the sense of Italian frate and Portuguese frade, while Italian “fratello” is a diminutive.^[3][6][4]

Cognate with Occitan fraire and Romanian frate.^[6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as fradre in the Strasbourg Oaths (842), meaning a brother born of the same parents; the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has frere.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

About 1050 the Vie de saint Alexis already uses it for a fellow human being, and, from 1174–1176 it named a member of a religious community, as in frères mineurs (about 1360) and frères prêcheurs.^[2][7] Legal French distinguishes the frère germain (13th century), consanguin (14th century) and utérin (mid-15th century); frères de lait dates from 1538, frères ennemis from 1487 and faux frère from 1675.^[7] In familiar use it is a friend or comrade, vieux frère (early 20th century).^[7][1]

Timeline

• 842 – Fradre in the Strasbourg Oaths.^[2]
• c. 1050 – A fellow human being, in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[2]
• c. 1100 – Frere in the Chanson de Roland.^[2]
• 1174–1176 – A member of a religious order.^[2]
• 1487 – Frères ennemis.^[7]
• 1538 – Frères de lait.^[7]
• 1675 – Faux frère.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A brother, a son of the same parents: frère aîné, grand frère.^[6][1]
2. A fellow human being; a comrade, a fellow member: frères d'armes, (informal) bro, mate.^[2][1]
3. A member of a religious order, a friar or lay brother: les frères des Écoles chrétiennes.^[1][7]
4. Faux frère: a traitor, frères ennemis: rivals of the same party.^[7][6]

Word family

• beau-frère
• demi-frère
• frérot
• frairie

Related words

• frangin
• fraternel
• fraternité
• germain
• Latin frāter

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 764a
6. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse