φράτηρ

Forms

φρᾱ́τηρ (phrā́tēr) m (genitive φρᾱ́τερος); third declension^[1]

• Ionic φρήτηρ (phrḗtēr) (in Hesychius, “brother”), Doric φρατήρ (phratḗr); the later φράτωρ (phrátōr) is frequent in manuscripts.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *pʰrā́tēr, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”), the Indo-European word for “brother”.^[1][3][4] Cognate with Latin frāter, Old High German bruoder and Old English brōþor.^[3][5]

In Greek the old kinship sense passed to ἀδελφός (adelphós).^[3][1] Beekes explains that in the extended family “brother” also covered half-brothers and male cousins of the same generation, which led several languages to make new words for a brother by the same mother; the administrative sense of the Greek word arose first in the collectives φράτρα (phrátra) and φρατρία (phrātríā).^[3] The sense “brother” survives only in Hesychius' gloss of φρήτηρ (phrḗtēr).^[2][3]

Zonaras derived it from a word for “brother”, or from πατήρ (patḗr) with π changed to φ.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Aeschylus' Eumenides, in the plural: the members of a phratry, clansmen.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

In Athens the phrateres were the members of a φρατρία (phrātríā).^[2][3] A father introduced his son to them when the boy came of age, as Aristophanes and Lysias mention, and in Isaeus a man is enrolled among the members of the clan and the phratry, and a marriage feast is offered to the phrateres.^[2] Aristophanes puns on it with φραστήρ (phrastḗr): one who “has not grown phrateres” has not cut his citizen teeth, is no true citizen; and he calls the Athenian jurors “phrateres of the three obols”.^[2] Aelian uses it metaphorically of birds, “kinsman”.^[2]

Timeline

• 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses the plural for the members of a phratry.^[2][7][8]
• 5th–4th century BC – Aristophanes mentions a son introduced to the phrateres and puns on the word.^[2][8]
• 5th–4th century BC – Isaeus often uses it of enrolment in the phratry.^[2][8]
• 3rd century BC – A Hibeh papyrus has the form φράτωρ (phrátōr).^[2]
• 2nd–3rd century AD – Aelian uses it of birds.^[2][8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A member of a phratry (φρατρία (phrātríā)); in the plural, clansmen.^[2][9][10]
2. (figurative) Of birds: a kinsman.^[2]
3. (Ionic, in Hesychius, as φρήτηρ (phrḗtēr)) A brother.^[2][3]

Word family

• φράτρα (phrátra)
• φρατρία (phrātríā)
• φράτριος (phrátrios)

Related words

• Latin frāter

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon, Heidelberg: Winter
5. ^ Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
6. ^ Pseudo-Zonaras, Lexicon, ed. Johann August Heinrich Tittmann (1808), Iohannis Zonarae Lexicon, Leipzig: Crusius
7. ^ a b Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
8. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
9. ^ Woordenboek Grieks/Nederlands (2012–), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, https://woordenboekgrieks.nl
10. ^ Malhadas, Daisi; Dezotti, Maria Celeste C.; Neves, Maria Helena de Moura, eds. (2006–2010), Dicionário Grego-Português, São Paulo: Ateliê; digital ed. 3 (2022), UNESP Araraquara