fraternalis

Forms

frāternālis (neuter frāternāle); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin frāternus (“brotherly”) + -ālis,^[1][2] from frāter (“brother”).^[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is a Medieval Latin word.^[1][4] Köbler dates its first sources, Folcuin and Ratherius, to the 10th century,^[4] and both use it in the sense “brotherly”: Folcuin quotes a charter speaking of brotherly consent.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Besides “brotherly”, it meant belonging to a brother or to the brothers of a community, and made up of brothers;^[3][5] in a monastery it described what befits a monk.^[4] In Poland it was also applied to a craft guild.^[6] Czech and Polish sources use it as a noun for a brother's son or daughter, a nephew or niece,^[7][6] and the modius fraternalis was a measure of grain.^[8]

English took it over in the early 15th century as fraternal, from Old French and directly from Medieval Latin.^[2] Neo-Latin authors kept it,^[9] as in the phrase fraternalis benivolentia “brotherly goodwill”.^[9]

Timeline

• 10th century – Folcuin and Ratherius use it for “brotherly”.^[4][3]
• 1290 – A Hungarian document speaks of brotherly devotion.^[5]
• early 15th century – Borrowed into English as fraternal.^[2]
• 1518 – Wolfgang Capito uses it in a letter.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (Medieval Latin) Brotherly, fraternal.^[3][10][1]
2. (Medieval Latin) Belonging to a brother or to the brothers of a community; made up of brothers.^[3][5]
3. (Medieval Latin) Of a craft guild.^[6]

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin) A brother's child, a nephew or niece.^[7][6]

Related words

• frater
• English fraternal

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
6. ^ a b c d Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
7. ^ a b Latinitatis medii aevi lexicon Bohemorum / Slovník středověké latiny v českých zemích (1977–), Prague: Academia; electronic version, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
8. ^ du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
9. ^ a b c Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de
10. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press