frater Latin · revision 2744

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 235–200 BC, Naevius|origins=ine-pro *bʰréh₂tēr}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈfraː.tɛr]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfraː.ter]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''frāter''' ''m'' (genitive frātris); third declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|itc-pro|*frāter]], [[inh|ine-pro|*bʰréh₂tēr|t=brother]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary)^(Pokorny 1959) Pinault analyses the Proto-Indo-European word as *bʰr-éh₂- “group of males borne by the same mother” with a contrastive suffix *-ter.^(de Vaan 2008) Cognate with [[xve|vhraterei]], [[xum|frater]] and [[osc|fratrúm]], with [[sga|bráthair]] and [[cy|brawd]], [[sa|भ्रातृ|tr=bhrā́tar-]], [[ae|brātar-]], [[grc|φράτηρ|tr=phrā́tēr|t=member of a brotherhood]], [[xpg|βρατερε|tr=bratere]], [[hy|եղբայր|tr=ełbayr]], [[prg|brāti]], [[lt|brolis|alt=brólis]], [[cu|братръ|tr=bratrŭ]], [[got|𐌱𐍂𐍉𐌸𐌰𐍂|tr=brōþar]], [[goh|bruoder]], [[non|bróðir]] and [[txb|procer]], all “brother”.^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) Umbrian [[m|xum|fratreks]] names an officer of a brotherhood.^(de Vaan 2008) Nigidius explained the word as “almost another self” (fere alter), Festus derived it from the Greek, and Isidore from [[fructus|alt=frūctus]].^(TLL)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is found from Naevius onwards,^(de Vaan 2008) and Plautus calls Neptune the [[m|en|brother]] of Jupiter.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant a brother, ''frater germanus'' a full brother, and in the plural brother and sister; a cousin on the father's side was ''frater patruelis'' or simply ''frater''.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879) Caesar's Gauls called a kindred people their ''fratres'', and the vocative ''mi frater'' was an affectionate address between friends; it also served as a euphemism for a lover.^(OLD 2012) The ''fratres arvales'' were members of a priestly college.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ Christian Latin used it for a fellow Christian and in the plural for the brethren, and medieval Latin for a monk or [[m|en|friar]].^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler 2010)^(Stelten 1995) British texts distinguish the half brother and the uterine brother.^(DMLBS) All Romance languages keep it, as Sardinian ''fratre'', Romanian ''frate'', Old French ''frere'', Italian ''frate'' and Portuguese ''frade'', the last two in the sense “friar”,^(DÉRom)^(Wiktionary) and English took ''fra'' and ''frate'' from Italian and ''frater'' as a learned word.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.^(de Vaan 2008)

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of brothers and of a cousin.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 116–27 BC – Varro explains the ''fratres arvales''.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero addresses his brother as ''mi frater''.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 50 BC – Caesar's Suessiones call the Remi their brothers.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * before 66 AD – Petronius uses it of a lover.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 560–636 AD – Isidore derives it from ''fructus''.^(TLL)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|brother]], as in ''frater germanus'', a full brother, and in the plural brother and sister.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+ # A paternal [[m|en|cousin]] (''frater patruelis'').^(OLD 2012)

+ # A friend addressed as brother; a kindred people; a lover.^(OLD 2012)

+ # A member of a priestly college.^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''(Christian Latin)'' A fellow Christian, and in the plural the brethren.^(Wiktionary)^(Stelten 1995)

+ # ''(Medieval Latin)'' A monk, a [[m|en|friar]].^(Köbler 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[frāterculus]]

+ * [[frāternus]]

+ * [[frātria]]

+ * [[frātricīda]]

+ * [[fratrissa]]

+ * [[frātrō]]

+ * [[frātruēlis]]

+ * [[frātellus]]

+ * [[frāternālis]]

+ * [[frāternē]]

+ * [[frāternitās]]

+ * [[frātricīdium]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[soror]]

+ * [[en|friar]]

+ * [[en|fraternal]]

+ * [[en|brother]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}