Etymologically
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брат

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Pronunciation

Forms

брат (brat) m anim (genitive бра́та, nominative plural бра́тья^*, genitive plural бра́тьев^*, relational adjective бра́тский, possessive adjective бра́тов, diminutive бра́тик or бра́тец or брато́к or брати́шка, augmentative брата́н or брату́ха, hypocorism брати́ша or братю́ля or братю́ня, expressive term брате́лло or брате́льник) (* The soft ending of the plural was originally used for feminine collective nouns, and the meaning of братья then was brotherhood.)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic братъ (bratŭ), from Proto-Slavic *bratъ (“brother”), a shortened form of *bratrъ.[1][2][3] The word is shared by all the Slavic languages: Ukrainian брат (brat), Old Church Slavonic братръ (bratrŭ) beside братъ (bratŭ), Serbo-Croatian брат (brȁt), Czech bratr and Polish brat.[4]

It is an old Indo-European kinship noun with a stem in ⟨-er⟩, like мать and сестра, continuing Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr.[1][5][6] Its cognates include Old Prussian brāti, Latvian brātarītis (“little brother”), Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrā́tṛ), Ancient Greek φράτηρ (phrátēr, “member of a phratry”), Latin frāter and Old Irish bráthir.[4][7] ESRJa thinks that the Indo-European word probably first meant a member of a men's union, comparing the Greek word and Old East Slavic братия (bratija, “a prince's retinue; monks”).[5]

Most scholars explain the form without ⟨r⟩ as a dissimilation of the longer form, and Vasmer, ESRJa and Shansky follow this.[4][5][6] Shaposhnikov and ESSJa date the shortening before Slavic, because other Indo-European languages also have forms without the final /r/.[2][8] A less likely view, Berneker's, takes the form without ⟨r⟩ as the older one and the ⟨r⟩ of the longer form as taken from the oblique cases.[5][4] Anikin notes that the dissimilation is now disputed, and that some scholars derive the shorter form from a separate Indo-European formation.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is in the scribe's note of the Ostromir Gospel of 1056–1057, which says that Prince Iziaslav then held both his father Yaroslav's domain and that of брата своего володимира “his brother Vladimir”.[9] Sreznevsky records both братъ and братръ in Old Russian.[10] Chernykh's sense “a son of the same parents, in relation to his brothers and sisters” is the first one in SDRJa, the brother by blood.[9][11]

Semantic evolution

Old Russian used the word for a brother by blood and also for a kinsman, a fellow member of a group, a fellow tribesman, a monk and one's neighbour in the Christian sense; it had сведеный братъ “half-brother”, названой братъ “sworn brother” and нашъ братъ “people like us”.[8] The Lay of Igor's Campaign has Vsevolod say to Igor: „Одинъ братъ, одинъ свѣтъ свѣтлыи — ты, Игорю!” “My one brother, my one bright light, you, Igor!”[12] In the 18th century sovereigns called one another “brother” in their letters, and the word was a familiar form of address, especially among the lower classes.[13][8]

Dialects have брат крестовый “sworn brother” (southern Siberia, Arkhangelsk, Olonets), брат-дети “first cousins” (Smolensk) and пять братьев “the five fingers”.[14][8] During the First World War, in 1916–1918, the derivative брататься took on the new sense “to fraternize with enemy soldiers” at the front.[11]

Timeline

  • 1056–1057 – брата своего володимира “his brother Vladimir” in the scribe's note of the Ostromir Gospel.[9]
  • 1216 – бра(т) на бра(т) “brother against brother” in the Novgorod First Chronicle, in its 13th–14th-century copy.[9]
  • 1280 – мьстити братоу брата “a brother shall avenge his brother” in the copy of the Russkaya Pravda made in 1280.[9]
  • 1916–1918 – брататься gains the sense “to fraternize with the enemy” at the front.[11]

Meanings

Noun

  1. brother: a son of the same parents, or of one of them, in relation to their other children.[15][16][1]
  2. With a qualifier, a more distant male relative of the same generation: двоюродный брат “first cousin”, сводный брат “stepbrother”.[15][17]
  3. (elevated) A fellow, anyone who shares the speaker's interests, position or cause: мы с ним братья по духу “he and I are kindred spirits”.[16][18]
  4. A member of a religious brotherhood; a monk, used before his name.[18][19]
  5. (colloquial) A familiar or friendly form of address to a man or boy, unstressed after the word before it: Ну, брат, ты даёшь! “Well, mate, you've outdone yourself!”[18][15]
  6. (colloquial) наш брат, ваш брат: people like us, people like you; a kind or sort.[18][1]

Word family

  • братец
  • братик
  • браток
  • братишка
  • братан
  • братва
  • братский
  • братство
  • брататься
  • побратим
  • собрат
  • медбрат
  • братия
  • фратрия
  • Old East Slavic братъ (bratŭ)
  • Old Church Slavonic братръ (bratrŭ)

Usage notes

The plural бра́тья was originally a collective noun meaning “brotherhood”, like Ukrainian бра́ття; it corresponds to Ancient Greek φρατρία (phratría).[4][1] A separate dialect noun брат means a mash of oat flour or bran prepared for cooking кисель (Vologda, 1852).[20]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 1, 77
  3. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 60
  4. ^ a b c d e Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 1, 207–208
  5. ^ a b c d Shansky, N. M.; Zhuravlev, A. F. (eds.) (1963–2007), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь русского языка], vols. 1–10 (A–M), Moskva: Izdatel'stvo Moskovskogo universiteta, p. 2, s.v. брат
  6. ^ a b Shansky, N. M.; Bobrova, T. A. (2004), Škol'nyj ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Школьный этимологический словарь русского языка], 7th ed., Moskva: Drofa, p. s.v. брат
  7. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  8. ^ a b c d e Anikin, A. E. (2007–2021), Russkij ètimologičeskij slovar' [Русский этимологический словарь], vols. 1–13 (A–D), Moskva: Rukopisnye pamjatniki Drevnej Rusi / Institut russkogo jazyka RAN, p. 4, 158
  9. ^ a b c d e Avanesov, R. I. et al. (eds.) (1988–), Slovar' drevnerusskogo jazyka (XI–XIV vv.) [Словарь древнерусского языка (XI–XIV вв.)], vols. 1–13, Moskva: Russkij jazyk / Azbukovnik, p. 1, s.v. братъ
  10. ^ Preobrazhensky, A. G. (1910–1914), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь русского языка], 2 vols. (A–T; vol. 3, T–Ja, 1949), Moskva: Lissner & Sovko, p. 1, 78
  11. ^ a b c Chernykh, P. Ya. (1993), Istoriko-ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Историко-этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. 1, s.v. брат
  12. ^ Vinogradova, V. L. (1965–1984), Slovar'-spravočnik «Slova o polku Igoreve» [Словарь-справочник «Слова о полку Игореве»], 6 vols., Moskva / Leningrad: Nauka, p. s.v. братъ
  13. ^ Sorokin, Yu. S. et al. (eds.) (1984–), Slovar' russkogo jazyka XVIII veka [Словарь русского языка XVIII века], vols. 1–24, Leningrad / Sankt-Peterburg: Nauka, p. s.v. брат
  14. ^ Filin, F. P.; Sorokoletov, F. P.; Myznikov, S. A. (eds.) (1965–), Slovar' russkix narodnyx govorov [Словарь русских народных говоров], vols. 1–51, Moskva / Leningrad / Sankt-Peterburg: Nauka, p. 3, 151
  15. ^ a b c Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. брат
  16. ^ a b Evgen'eva, A. P. (ed.) (1981–1984), Slovar' russkogo jazyka v četyrex tomax [Словарь русского языка в 4 тт.] (MAS), 2nd ed., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. брат
  17. ^ Kuznetsov, S. A. (ed.) (1998), Bol'šoj tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Большой толковый словарь русского языка], Sankt-Peterburg: Norint, p. s.v. брат
  18. ^ a b c d Ushakov, D. N. (ed.) (1935–1940), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4 vols., Moskva: Sovetskaja ènciklopedija / OGIZ, p. s.v. брат
  19. ^ Efremova, T. F. (2000), Novyj slovar' russkogo jazyka. Tolkovo-slovoobrazovatel'nyj [Новый словарь русского языка. Толково-словообразовательный], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. брат
  20. ^ Filin, F. P.; Sorokoletov, F. P.; Myznikov, S. A. (eds.) (1965–), Slovar' russkix narodnyx govorov [Словарь русских народных говоров], vols. 1–51, Moskva / Leningrad / Sankt-Peterburg: Nauka, p. 3, 152