Dictionary

brotherly en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɹʌð.ɚ.li/ (US)
• /ˈbɹʌð.ə.li/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English brotherly, from Old English brōþorlīċ, from Proto-West Germanic *brōþerlīk, from Proto-Germanic *brōþērlīkaz, equivalent to brother + -ly (adjectival suffix). Cognate with Dutch broederlijk (“brotherly”), German brüderlich (“brotherly”), Swedish broderlig (“brotherly”). Piecewise doublet of friarly.

Meanings

1. Of or characteristic of brothers.
   • They are modelling in parvo around them the predestined Greater America of the mightier, holier, brotherlier comradeship which it seems America has been called into being to bring to pass for the world:— […] 1908, Richard de Bary, “Social Conversion”, in The Land of Promise: An Account of the Material and Spiritual Unity of America, London; […]: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 297:
   • brotherly love
   • Do not despair. To be friendless is indeed to be unfortunate; but the hearts of men, when unprejudiced by any obvious self-interest, are full of brotherly love and charity. 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter VII, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume II, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, page 115:

Forms

Deriveds

brotherliness · unbrotherly · brotherly love

Relateds

brotherhood · brother

Translations (51)

tr kardeşçe (of or characteristic of brothers) · enm brotherly (of or characteristic of brothers) · bg бра́тски (of or characteristic of brothers) · be бра́цкі (of or characteristic of brothers) · hy եղբայրական (of or characteristic of brothers) · cs bratrský (of or characteristic of brothers) · mk братски (of or characteristic of brothers) · es fraternal (of or characteristic of brothers) · vo higemik (of or characteristic of brothers) · be братэ́рскі (of or characteristic of brothers) · de brüderlich (of or characteristic of brothers) · gv braaroil (of or characteristic of brothers) · el αδελφικός (of or characteristic of brothers) · grc ἀδελφικός (of or characteristic of brothers) · pl braterski (of or characteristic of brothers) · sk bratský (of or characteristic of brothers) · ang brōþorlīċ (of or characteristic of brothers) · ug قېرىنداشلارچە (of or characteristic of brothers) · io fratala (of or characteristic of brothers) · de geschwisterlich (of or characteristic of brothers) · la frāternus (of or characteristic of brothers) · rup frãtsescu (of or characteristic of brothers) · ro fratern (of or characteristic of brothers) · sga bráithremail (of or characteristic of brothers) · fr fraternel (of or characteristic of brothers) · io fratatra (of or characteristic of brothers) · nb broderlig (of or characteristic of brothers) · ga bráithriúil (of or characteristic of brothers) · sh бра̀тскӣ (of or characteristic of brothers) · sh bràtskī (of or characteristic of brothers) · da broderlig (of or characteristic of brothers) · pt fraternal (of or characteristic of brothers) · az qardaşcasına (of or characteristic of brothers) · uk брате́рський (of or characteristic of brothers) · es fraterno (of or characteristic of brothers) · vo gemik (of or characteristic of brothers) · sv broderlig (of or characteristic of brothers) · vo blodik (of or characteristic of brothers) · uk бра́тній (of or characteristic of brothers) · nl broederlijk (of or characteristic of brothers) · ml സാഹോദര്യ (of or characteristic of brothers) · gd bràithreil (of or characteristic of brothers) · uk бра́тський (of or characteristic of brothers) · ru бра́тский (of or characteristic of brothers) · uz qardoshlarcha (of or characteristic of brothers) · fi veljellinen (of or characteristic of brothers) · ar أَخَوِيّ (of or characteristic of brothers) · sl bratski (of or characteristic of brothers) · ka ძმური (of or characteristic of brothers) · ro frățesc (of or characteristic of brothers) · pt fraterno (of or characteristic of brothers)

brotherly en · ADV · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɹʌð.ɚ.li/ (US)
• /ˈbɹʌð.ə.li/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English brotherly, equivalent to brother + -ly (adverbial suffix).

Meanings

1. In the manner of a brother, as a brother, as brothers.
   • "What honest man, who is not insane, would take lost women and thieves into his house to dwell with him sisterly and brotherly?" 1908 February 19, Jack London, The Iron Heel, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC:
   • […] he traverses planetary-romance versions of Venus and Mars, whups villains till they die, screws bad-ass tall women and acts brotherly to shorter women with bare breasts (it's all right to mention breasts if they belong to your sister) who die for him (even better, I guess), walks away. 2016, John Clute, Canary Fever:
   • The people treat me brotherly here. 1910, Elias Smith, Herald of Gospel Liberty, volume 102, page 346:
   • I might have seen him, and talked with him brotherly, face to face. 1881, William Dean Howells, A Fearful Responsibility: And Other Stories, page 159:
   • They should behave brotherly toward one another because they are rational and moral beings. 2025, Usha Rana, Rupender Singh, Combating Human Trafficking:
   • So, to be a brother and to act brotherly is a universe of structured experience blissful in Light (higher vibrations) and brightful in darkness (or lower vibrations). 2025, Dr. Charles Onwulata, The Wise Sayings of SZOKWA Book II: A Book of Answers:
   • There was no way she'd be able to act brotherly/sisterly with him. 2012, Laura Hilton, Promised To Another:
   • Praising and pleading him, / Lovingly needing him, / Brotherly feeding him, / Preaching and speeding him, / Blessing, succeeding Him, / Thus is the Master near,— / Thus is He here! 1879, Bayard Taylor, Studies in German Literature, page 355:

Forms