brat

See also: Brat, BRAT, brať, brát, brãt, braț, bråț, brät, and Brät

English

Etymology 1

Early Modern English (c. 1500) slang term meaning "beggar's child". Possibly from Scots bratchet (“bitch, hound”). Another possibility is that it was originally a dialectal word, from northern and western England and the Midlands, for a "makeshift or ragged garment," from Old English bratt (“cloak”), which is from a Celtic source (Old Irish brat (“cloak, cloth”)). In the sense "characteristic of a confident and assertive woman", coined by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX in her 2024 album Brat.

Pronunciation

• enPR: brăt, IPA^(key): /bɹæt/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æt

Noun

brat (countable and uncountable, plural brats)

1. (slang) A human child.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:child

   • 2012 March 2, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, Mar 2, 2012:

     "So... you want to have kids someday?" "Uh... well, yes. I always figured I'd have a couple brats of my own someday..." "That's still doable, you know." "I know, but the process is a lot more complicated and less intimate, and --"

   1. (derogatory) A child who is regarded as mischievous, unruly, spoiled, or selfish.

      a spoiled brat

      Get that little brat away from me!

      • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 297:

        He would never speak a word, - only eat and cry, and she hadn't the heart to strike it or illtreat the youngster either; but somebody taught her a charm to make him speak, and then she found out what kind of a brat he really was.

   2. (uncountable, neologism) The qualities possessed by a confident and assertive woman.
      • 2024 August 23, Lauren Bulbin, Annaliese Nurnberg, “The best brat styles of DNC”, in The Washington Post‎^[1], Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 August 2024:

        Here are the people and the styles at the DNC that embodied the brat ethos.

      • 2024 August 26, Lena Dunham, “A Guide to Brat Summer”, in The New Yorker‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-08-27:

        Brat is being lazy until 10 P.M., at which point you construct a château using discarded scraps of pleather, finish it by morning, and immediately win the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

      • 2024 August 27, Brooke LaMantia, “Naomi Osaka Is Having a Brat U.S. Open”, in The Cut‎^[3], archived from the original on 2024-08-28:

        My favorite touch is how each of her Nike shoes has its own little bow, which is just the perfect amount of brat.

   3. (slang) A child (at any age) of an active member of the military or the diplomatic service.

      an army brat

      • 1941 June 5, Gerry Dick, “They Practiced Art of War, Then They Studied It”, in Hope Star, Hope, Arkansas, page 5:

        Lt. Gen. John L. DeWitt, Commander of the Fourth Army, was an army “brat,” which means his father was an army officer. But he went into the army from Princeton, not from West Point.

   4. (BDSM) A submissive partner who is disobedient and unruly.
2. A turbot or flatfish.
   • 1843, Thomas Wilson, The Movement‎^{[The Pitman's Pay: And Other Poems]}:

     For the crabby awd dealers in ling, cod, and brats / And the vurgins that tempt us wi' nice maiden skyet...

3. (historical) A rough cloak or ragged garment.
   • 1961, Audrey I. Barfoot, Everyday costume in Britain: from the earliest times to 1900, page 80:

     The chief's daughter wears a brat and léine girdled with a criss.

   • 2005, Seán Duffy, Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia, →ISBN, page 156:

     The prevailing style of dress in the early medieval period comprised a léine (tunic) worn under a brat (cloak).

   • 2006, Celtic Culture: A-Celti, →ISBN, page 1272:

     Women wore loose, flowing, ankle-length robes modelled on 11th-century European fashion (derived from what O'Neill called the léine) and, perhaps, a brat over these.

4. (obsolete, UK, Scotland, dialect) A coarse kind of apron for keeping the clothes clean; a bib.
   • 1882, John Strathesk, “pp. 135”, in Blinkbonny‎^{[The English Dialect Dictionary... brat]}:

     [She] had still on the rough worsted apron of nappy homespun wool, called a "brat".

5. (obsolete) The young of an animal.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii:

     Their ſhoulders broad, for complet armour fit,
     Their lims more large and of a bigger ſize
     Than all the brats yſprong from Typhons loins:

   • 1680, Roger L'Estrange, Citt and Bumpkin:

     They are your Will-Worship-men, your Prelates Brats: Take the whole Litter of’um, and you’ll finde never a barrel better Herring.

Derived terms

• army brat
• bratling
• Brat Pack
• brat tamer
• brattery
• brattish
• brattitude
• chequer-brat
• diplobrat
• fac brat
• fanbrat
• firebrat
• grandbrat
• military brat
• superbrat

Translations

a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child

• Catalan: marrec (ca) m, ganàpia (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 豆釘 / 豆钉 (yue), 塞豆窿 (yue) (sak¹ dau⁶ lung^4-1)

  Mandarin: 小子 (zh) (xiǎozi), 臭小孩兒 / 小孩儿 (xiǎoháir), 臭小孩儿 (xiǎoháir) (chòu xiǎoháir), 小淘氣 / 小淘气 (zh) (xiǎotáoqì), 小屁孩 (xiǎopìhái)

• Czech: spratek (cs) m, fracek (cs) m, fakan (cs) m
• Danish: unge (da), møgunge (da)
• Dutch: (verwend) nest n
• Esperanto: knabaĉo, knabinaĉo, bubaĉo
• Finnish: kakara (fi), penska (fi)
• French: morveux (fr) m, morveuse (fr) f, peste (fr) f, sale gosse (fr) m or f, garnement (fr) m, mal élevé (fr) m, mal élevée (fr) f
• Galician: fedello m, mocoso m, mocosa f
• German: Balg (de) m, Göre (de) f, Gör (de) n

  Alemannic German: Blag n

• Greek: τσογλάνι (el) n (tsogláni), κωλόπαιδο (el) n (kolópaido), παλιόπαιδο (el) n (paliópaido)
• Hebrew: מַזִּיק m (mazík)
• Irish: dailtín m
• Italian: monello (it) m, moccioso (it) m
• Japanese: 餓鬼 (ja) (がき, gaki), ちび (ja) (chibi)
• Korean: 애새끼 (ko) (aesaekki)
• Macedonian: де́тиште n (détište)
• Norman: marmot m
• Norwegian: (bortskjemt) drittunge n, snørrunge m
• Plautdietsch: Baulch n, Brech n
• Polish: bachor (pl) m, bękart (pl) m
• Portuguese: pirralho (pt) m, mimado (pt) m, pirralha f
• Romanian: plod (ro) m, odraslă (ro) f, vlăstar (ro) m or n, copil (ro) m, puști (ro) m
• Russian: (невоспитанный/надоедливый) ребёнок m ((nevospitannyj/nadojedlivyj) rebjónok), него́дник (ru) m (negódnik), него́дница (ru) f (negódnica), парши́вец (ru) m (paršívec), парши́вка (ru) f (paršívka), сопля́к (ru) m (soplják), сопля́чка (ru) f (sopljáčka), молокосо́с (ru) m (molokosós), молокосо́ска f (molokosóska), мальчи́шка (ru) m (malʹčíška), девчо́нка (ru) f (devčónka), отро́дье (ru) n (otródʹje)
• Scottish Gaelic: droch isean m, uilleagan m, peasan m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: дериште n

  Roman: derište (sh) n

• Spanish: mimado (es) m, malcriado (es) m, malportado (es) m, mocoso (es), niñato (es) m
• Swedish: snorunge (sv) c
• Thai: เด็กเปรต (dèk-bprèet), เด็กเวร (dèk-ween), เด็กแสบ (dèk-sɛ̀ɛp)
• Turkish: velet (tr)
• Woiwurrung: nilimjak
• Yiddish: תּכשיט m (takhshet), מזיק m (mazek)

Verb

brat (third-person singular simple present brats, present participle bratting, simple past and past participle bratted)

1. (BDSM, intransitive) To act in a bratty manner as the submissive.
   • 2021, Ardie Stallard, Switch: A Tale of Spanking, BDSM & Romance:

     Ruthie was Ed's own submissive, a short, pretty, feisty ash-blonde New York City native who combined her submission to Ed with a good deal of mischievous bratting and a lot of sharp, intelligent conversation […]

   • 2020, Jessica M. Kratzer, Communication in Kink, page 43:

     Rather, Ana moves between playful bratting and a type of “conquer me” wantedness that good Dominants would respond to with increased control and correction.

Adjective

brat (comparative more brat, superlative most brat)

1. (neologism) Characteristic of a confident and assertive woman.
   • 2024 July 21, @charli_xcx [Charli XCX], Twitter‎^[4], archived from the original on 24 July 2024:

     kamala IS brat

   • 2024 August 13, Noah Keate, “It's official: Boris Johnson is brat”, in Politico‎^[5], archived from the original on 2024-08-15:

     Starmer's Tory predecessors Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss were identified as brat by 15 percent each of those asked.

   • 2024 August 26, Nesrine Malik, “'Brat' Kamala or 'dragon mother' Pelosi? This meme machine is a risky strategy in a high-stakes election”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎^[6], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-08-27:

     Kamala Harris herself was anointed as "brat" the moment that Joe Biden stepped down, but already Harris's mother – who had Indian heritage and raised Harris as a single parent – has been declared the uberbrat, more brat than even her daughter.

Related terms

• brat green
• brat summer

Etymology 2

Clipping of bratwurst, from German Bratwurst.

Pronunciation

• (US) enPR: brŏt, IPA^(key): /bɹɑt/
• Rhymes: -ɒt

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

brat (plural brats)

1. (informal, Upper Midwestern US) Bratwurst.
   • 2020, Brandon Taylor, Real Life, Daunt Books Originals, page 267:

     There are many people loitering, eating ice cream, talking, eating brats.

Translations

bratwurst — see bratwurst

See also

• Appendix:English collective nouns

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

brat (plural brats)

1. (mining) A thin bed of coal mixed with pyrites or carbonate of lime.

Anagrams

• BART, Bart, T-bar

Danish

Etymology

A merger of two unrelated adjectives:

• Old Norse *brantr (east), brattr (west), from Proto-Germanic *brantaz, cognate with Norwegian bratt, Swedish brant, English brant.
• Old Norse bráðr (“hasty, sudden”), from Proto-Germanic *brēþaz (“hot, in a hurry, rushed”), cognate with Norwegian brå, Swedish bråd. In early modern Danish, the latter meaning also had the form brad, with the neuter bradt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /brat/, [ˈb̥ʁɑd̥]

Adjective

brat (plural and definite singular attributive bratte, comparative brattere, superlative (predicative) brattest, superlative (attributive) bratteste)

1. steep
2. sudden

References

• “brat” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “brat” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /brɑt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: brat
• Rhymes: -ɑt

Noun

brat n (uncountable)

1. Alternative form of brat

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʁaːt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːt

Verb

brat

1. singular imperative of braten
2. (colloquial) first-person singular present of braten

Irish

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Aran) IPA^(key): /bˠɾˠɑt̪ˠ/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /bˠɾˠat̪ˠ/, [bˠɾˠaːt̪ˠ]
• (Mayo, Ulster) IPA^(key): /bˠɾˠat̪ˠ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish bratt, from Proto-Celtic *brattos (compare Welsh brethyn (“cloth”), from *brattinyos).

Noun

brat m (genitive singular brait, nominative plural brait)

1. mantle, cloak

   Proverb:

   Ná leath do bhrat ach mar is féidir leat a chonlú.

   Cut your coat according to your cloth.

   (literally, “Don’t spread your cloak farther than you can fold it.”)

2. covering
3. (theater) curtain
4. Alternative form of bratach (“flag”)

Declension

Declension of brat (first declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative brat brait vocative a bhrait a bhrata genitive brait brat dative brat brait forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an brat na brait genitive an bhrait na mbrat dative leis an mbrat don bhrat leis na brait

Derived terms

• aerbhrat (“atmosphere”)
• brat allais (“sweat-cloth; lather of sweat”)
• brat altóra (“vestment, altar-cloth”)
• brat Bhríde (“(piece of cloth representing) St. Brigid’s mantle”)
• brat boird (“table-cloth”)
• brat brád (“neckerchief”)
• brat bróin (“pall”)
• brat cinn (“head-dress, kerchief”)
• brat deataigh (“smoke-screen”)
• brat dín (“protective covering”)
• brat móna (“cut turf spread on bog”)
• brat reatha (“carpet runner”)
• brat sneachta (“mantle of snow”)
• brata (“carpeted, covered (with)”)
• bratchreimeadh (“sheet erosion”)
• brateagraíocht (“umbrella organization”)
• bratfhiaile (“blanketweed”)
• bratlong (“flagship”)
• bratóg (“small cloak, covering; rag; flake”)
• bratsáirsint (“colour-sergeant”)
• bratscair (“layered, spread-out, material; covering”)
• ceannbhrat (“canopy”)
• fo-bhrat (“undercoat”)

Related terms

• bratach

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

brat m (genitive singular brat, nominative plural bratanna)

1. broth; thick soup

Declension

Declension of brat (fourth declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative brat bratanna vocative a bhrat a bhratanna genitive brat bratanna dative brat bratanna forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an brat na bratanna genitive an bhrat na mbratanna dative leis an mbrat don bhrat leis na bratanna

Mutation

Mutated forms of brat

radical	lenition	eclipsis
brat	bhrat	mbrat

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “brat”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “brat”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “brat”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025

Kashubian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bràtrъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbrat/
• Rhymes: -at
• Syllabification: brat

Noun

brat m pers

1. brother (son of the same parents as another person)
2. brother term of address to a man

Declension

Declension of brat

	singular	plural
nominative	brat	bratowie/bracë/bracô
genitive	brata	bratów/bracy
dative	bratu/bratowi	bratóm/bracóm
accusative	brata	bratów/bracy
instrumental	bratã	bratama
locative	brace	bratach
vocative	brace	bratowie/bracë/bracô

Further reading

• Stefan Ramułt (1893) “brat”, in Słownik języka pomorskiego czyli kaszubskiego (in Kashubian), page 11
• Sychta, Bernard (1967) “brat”, in Słownik gwar kaszubskich [Dictionary of Kashubian dialects] (in Polish), volumes 1 (A – Ǵ), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 65
• Jan Trepczyk (1994) “brat”, in Słownik polsko-kaszubski (in Kashubian), volumes 1–2
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “brat”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎^[7]
• “brat”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [brat]

Verb

brat

1. supine of braś

Middle English

Noun

brat

1. a coarse cloak
   • 1386, Geoffrey Chaucer, “Line 881”, in The Canon's Yeoman's Tale‎^[8]:

     Whicħ þat þey myght / wrape hem in at nyght / And a brat / to walk in / by day-light

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Old Polish

Alternative forms

• bratr, bracia

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bràtrъ. First attested in the 14th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /brat/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /brat/

Noun

brat m pers (diminutive bratek or bratrzyk, related adjective bratni or bratów or bracki)

1. (attested in Greater Poland, Masovia, Lesser Poland) brother (son of the same parents as another person)
   • 1885-2024 [c. 1428], Jan Baudouina de Courtenay, Jan Karłowicz, Antoni Adam Kryńskiego, Malinowski Lucjan, editors, Prace Filologiczne‎^[9], volume I, Międzyrzec, Warsaw, page 479:

     Jan y Jęndrzey, braczą rodzeny

     [Jan i Jędrzej, bracia rodzeni]

   • 1939 [end of the 14th century], Ryszard Ganszyniec, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Kubica, Ludwik Bernacki, editors, Psałterz florjański łacińsko-polsko-niemiecki [Sankt Florian Psalter]‎^[10], Krakow: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, z zasiłkiem Sejmu Śląskiego [The Ossoliński National Institute: with the benefit of the Silesian Parliament], pages 34, 17:

     Iaco blisznego, iaco brata naszego, taco lub iesm bil (quasi proximum, et quasi fratrem nostrum, sic complacebam)

     [Jako bliźniego i jako brata naszego tako lub jeśm był (quasi proximum, et quasi fratrem nostrum, sic complacebam)]

   • 1922 [End of the 14th century], Jan Łoś, editor, Początki piśmiennictwa polskiego. (Przegląd zabytków językowych)‎^[11], page 233:

     Bo on... gescz oczecz nasz i brat nasz

     [Bo on... jeść ociec nasz i brat nasz]

2. brother (sibling of further connection, i.e. a half-brother)
   • 1873, Zygmunt Gloger, editor, Ułamek starożytnego kazania o małżeństwie‎^[12]:

     Pamyøtay, yze Tanita (pro Tamara) od swego brata czystotø szgubila

     [Pamiętaj, iże Tanita (pro Thamar) od swego brata czystotę zgubiła]

   • 1885-2024 [1489], Jan Baudouina de Courtenay, Jan Karłowicz, Antoni Adam Kryńskiego, Malinowski Lucjan, editors, Prace Filologiczne‎^[13], volume V, page 30:

     Brath przyrodny novercarius

     [Brat przyrodni novercarius]

3. brother (member of the same lineage)
   • 1910-2024 [1389], Rocznik Towarzystwa Heraldycznego we Lwowie‎^[14], volume III, page 3:

     Szeczslaw yest nasz brath, naszego sczitha y zawolana

     [Sieczsław jest nasz brat, naszego szczyta i zawołania]

4. brother (member of the same community)
   • 1930 [c. 1455], “Gen”, in Ludwik Bernacki, editor, Biblia królowej Zofii (Biblia szaroszpatacka)‎^[15], 31, 32:

     U kogokoly swe bogy naydzesz, bødze przede wszemy brati nassymy zagubyon (necetur coram fratribus nostris)

     [U kogokoli swe bogi najdziesz, będzie przede wszemi braty naszymi zagubion (necetur coram fratribus nostris)]

   • 1928 [c. 1475], “Kmieć wielkopolski w zapiskach sądowych średniowiecznych”, in Kazimierz Tymieniecki, Zygmunt Lisowski, editors, Sprawozdania Poznańskiego Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Nauk, volume IV, Greater Poland, page 44:

     Bracza naschy lawnyczy post nos ad scampnum locati

     [Bracia naszy ławnicy post nos ad scampnum locati]

5. (attested in Lesser Poland) brother term of address
   • c. 1301-1350, Kazania świętokrzyskie‎^[16], Miechów, page cr 11:

     Vidce, braca mila, zbauene, vidce uelike sina bozego priiazny

     [Widzcie, bracia miła, zbawienie, widzcie wielikie Syna Bożego przyjaźni]

6. brother (fellow human being)
   • c. 1478, Dekalog - Dziesięcioro przykazań bożych - Decem praecepta Dei, volume I, number 2:

     Nye zabyyay bratha thwego (non occides Deut 5, 17)

     [Nie zabijaj brat twego (non occides Deut 5, 17)]

Derived terms

nouns

• bracica
• braciec
• bractwo
• brat ciotczany
• brat przyrodni
• brat stryjeczny
• bratogłowca
• bratogłówstwo
• bratowizna
• siostra z bratem

Related terms

nouns

• bracianek
• bracieniec
• bratanek
• bratanię
• bratanka

Descendants

• Polish: brat
• Silesian: brat

References

• Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “brat”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN
• Sławski, Franciszek (1958-1965) “brat”, in Jan Safarewicz, Andrzej Siudut, editors, Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), Kraków: Towarzystwo Miłośników Języka Polskiego
• Mańczak, Witold (2017) “brat”, in Polski słownik etymologiczny (in Polish), Kraków: Polska Akademia Umiejętności, →ISBN
• Bańkowski, Andrzej (2000) “brat”, in Etymologiczny słownik języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish)
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “brat”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN
• Ewa Deptuchowa, Mariusz Frodyma, Katarzyna Jasińska, Magdalena Klapper, Dorota Kołodziej, Mariusz Leńczuk, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, editors (2023), “brat”, in Rozariusze z polskimi glosami. Internetowa baza danych [Dictionaries of Polish glosses, an Internet database] (in Polish), Kraków: Pracownia Języka Staropolskiego Instytut Języka Polskiego Polskiej Akademii Nauk

Old Slovak

Alternative forms

• brater, bratr

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bràtrъ. First attested in 1454.

Noun

brat m pers

1. brother (son of the same parents as another person)
2. brother (member of the same community, especially a church)

Descendants

• Pannonian Rusyn: брат (brat)
• Slovak: brat

References

• Majtán, Milan et al., editors (1991–2008), “brat”, in Historický slovník slovenského jazyka [Historical Dictionary of the Slovak Language] (in Slovak), volumes 1–7 (A – Ž), Bratislava: VEDA, →OCLC

Polish

FWOTD – 7 November 2015

Alternative forms

• bratr (Middle Polish)

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish brat.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈbrat/

• (Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /ˈbrat/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -at
• Syllabification: brat

Noun

brat m pers (diminutive braciszek, abbreviation br. or b.)

1. (family) brother (son of the same parents as another person)

   Coordinate term: siostra

2. (family) brother (male having at least one parent in common with another)

   Coordinate term: siostra

   przyrodni brat ― half brother

3. (religion) brother (member of a men's religious order)

   Synonym: zakonnik

4. brother (member of a fraternity, tribe, or brotherhood)
5. brother (male companion or friend, usually with the same interests, experience, views, etc.)
6. brother (fellow human being)
7. brother endearing term of address for a male
8. (Middle Polish) brother; Further details are uncertain.
   • 1528, J. Murmelius, Dictionarius‎^[17], page 166:

     Frater […] eyn bruder Brat

     [Frater […] eyn bruder Brat]

   • 1528, F. Mymer, Dictionarium‎^[18], page 98:

     Frater. Bruder. Brat.

     [Frater. Bruder. Brat.]

   • 1564, J. Mączyński, Lexicon‎^[19], page 97b:

     Dulciſſime frater, Namilſzi Brácie.

     [Dulcissime frater, Námilszy Bracie.]

   • 1564, J. Mączyński, Lexicon‎^[20], page 136a:

     Frater […] Brát.

     [Frater […] Brát.]

   • 1564, J. Mączyński, Lexicon‎^[21], page 151a:

     Habeo te fratrem, Mam cie zá brátá.

     [Habeo te fratrem, Mam cię za brata.]

   • 1564, J. Mączyński, Lexicon‎^[22], page 266d:

     Optime et dulciſſime frater, Naylepſzy á naymilſzy brácie.

     [Optime et dulcissime frater, Najlepszy a najmilszy bracie.]

   • 1588, A. Calepinus, Dictionarium decem linguarum‎^[23], page 433b:

     Frater ‒ Brat.

     [Frater ‒ Brat.]

Declension

Declension of brat

	singular	plural
nominative	brat	bracia
genitive	brata	braci
dative	bratu	braciom
accusative	brata	braci
instrumental	bratem	braćmi
locative	bracie	braciach
vocative	bracie	bracia

Derived terms

adjectives

• bracki
• braterski
• bratni
• pobratymczy

adverbs

• bratersko
• po bratersku

nouns

• brachol
• bracia czescy
• bracia mniejsi
• bracia morawscy
• bracia polscy
• bracia syjamscy
• bractwo
• brać
• brat ksero
• brat łata
• brat mleczny
• brat polski
• bratanek
• bratanica
• bratanka
• bratczyk
• bratek
• brateńko
• bratowa
• bratul
• bratunio
• ciepły brat
• cioteczny brat
• ni brat ni swat
• pobratymca
• pobratymiec
• pobratymstwo
• półbrat
• przyrodni brat
• rodzony brat
• rozbrat
• starsi bracia w wierze
• stryjeczny brat
• wujeczny brat

proverbs

• kochajmy się jak bracia, liczmy się jak Żydzi

verbs

• bratać impf

verbs

• być za pan brat impf

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), brat is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 4 times in scientific texts, 3 times in news, 0 times in essays, 25 times in fiction, and 50 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 82 times, making it the 779th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.

Further reading

• brat in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• bracie in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• brat in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “brat”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• “BRAT”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 14.11.2018
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “brat”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “brat”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “brat”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 201

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic братъ (bratŭ). Doublet of bărat.

Noun

brat m (plural brați)

1. (Slavicism, rare) brother

   Synonym: frate

2. (regional, Banat) monk

   Synonym: călugăr

Declension

Declension of brat

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	brat	bratul		brați	brații
genitive-dative	brat	bratului		brați	braților
vocative	bratule			braților

Related terms

• brățesc
• brăți

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish bratt, from Proto-Celtic *brattos (compare Welsh brethyn (“cloth”), from *brattinyos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɾaht̪/

Noun

brat m (genitive singular brata, plural bratan)

1. cloak, cover, covering, mantle, veil, canopy
2. mat

Derived terms

• brat-cùil

Related terms

• bratach

Mutation

Mutation of brat

radical	lenition
brat	bhrat

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bratrъ, *bratъ, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /brât/

Noun

brȁt m (Cyrillic spelling бра̏т, diminutive brȁtić, relational adjective bràtskī)

1. brother (son of the same parents as another person)
2. brother, mate, pal, buddy when used in informal speech to address somebody in the vocative

Usage notes

There is no plural form for this noun. Instead, the collective term brȁća is used for plural meanings.

Declension

Declension of brat

	singular
nominative	brat
genitive	brata
dative	bratu
accusative	brata
vocative	brate
locative	bratu
instrumental	bratom

Derived terms

• brȁtac
• bratakati
• bratàkati se
• bratánac
• brȁtić
• bràtija
• bratimiti
• brȁtimiti se
• brȁtīmstvo
• brȁtīnstvo
• bratiti
• brȁtiti se
• brȁtjenac
• brȁtoljūblje
• bratoùbilačkī
• bratoubilčki
• bratoùbojica
• bratoùbōjstvo
• brȁtōv
• brȁtovljev
• brȁtovljī
• brȁtovskī
• bratóvština
• bràtstvo
• bràtučed

Silesian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish brat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbrat/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -at
• Syllabification: brat

Noun

brat m pers (diminutive bracik)

1. brother (son of the same parents as another person)

   Coordinate term: siostra

2. (religion) brother (member of a men's religious order)

   Synonym: zakonnik

3. brother (male companion or friend, usually with the same interests, experience, views, etc.)

Declension

Declension of brat

	singular	plural
nominative	brat	braciŏ
genitive	brata	bratōw
dative	bratowi	bratōm
accusative	brata	bratōw
instrumental	bratym	bratami/bratōma
locative	bracie	bratach
vocative	bracie	braciŏ

Further reading

• brat in dykcjonorz.eu
• brat in silling.org
• Aleksandra Wencel (2023) “brat”, in Dykcjůnôrz ślų̊sko-polski, page 75

Slovak

Etymology

Inherited from Old Slovak brat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [brat]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

brat m pers (relational adjective bratský, diminutive braček)

1. brother (son of the same parents as another person)

Declension

Declension of brat (pattern chlap)

	singular	plural
nominative	brat	bratia
genitive	brata	bratov
dative	bratovi	bratom
accusative	brata	bratov
vocative	brate, bratu, brat	bratia
locative	bratovi	bratoch
instrumental	bratom	bratmi

Further reading

• “brat”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

Slovene

Alternative forms

• (br, dialectal)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bratrъ, *bratъ, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /brát/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

brȁt m anim

1. brother (son of the same parents as another person)
2. (literary, archaic) brother (someone of the same or closely related nationality)
3. (literary, by extension) brother (someone sharing the same opinions)

Declension

First masculine declension (hard o-stem, animate) , vowel lengthening, ending -je in nominative plural
nom. sing.	brȁt
gen. sing.	bráta
	singular	dual	plural
nominative imenovȃlnik	brȁt	bráta	brátje, bráti
genitive rodȋlnik	bráta	brātov	brātov
dative dajȃlnik	brátu, bráti, brātu+ prep.	brátoma, brátama	brátom, brátam
accusative tožȋlnik	bráta	bráta	bráte
locative mẹ̑stnik	brātu, bráti	brātih, brātah	brātih, brātah
instrumental orọ̑dnik	brátom	brátoma, brátama	brāti
(vocative) (ogȏvorni imenovȃlnik)	brȁt, brate[acc?]	brȃta	brȃti

Further reading

• “brat”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
• “brat”, in Termania, Amebis
• See also the general references

Slovincian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bratrъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbrat/
• Rhymes: -at
• Syllabification: brat

Noun

brat m pers

1. brother (son of the same parents as another person)

Declension

Declension of brat

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	brat	brata	bracë, bratë, braco
genitive	brata	—	brató
dative	bratú	bratôma, bratma	bratóm
accusative	brata	brata	brató
instrumental	brata	bratôma, bratma	braty, bratmy, bratamy
locative	bracê	—	bracéch, bratach
vocative	bracê	brata	bracë, bratë, braco

Further reading

• Lorentz, Friedrich (1908) “brãt”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch‎^[24] (in German), volume 1, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 64
• Zenon Sobierajski, editor (1997), “brat”, in Słownik gwarowy tzw. Słowińców kaszubskich [Dialectal dictionary of so-called Kashubian Slovincians]‎^[25], volume 1. A-C, Warsaw: Slawistyczny Ośrodek Wydawniczy, →ISBN, page 112

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English brat (“spoiled child”).

Noun

brat c

1. (slang) person who is very careful about following fashion trends; someone who rarely ever acts independently but rather follows peer pressure, usually maintaining an appearance of visible wealth

Usage notes

• Mainly used in plural, as a collective noun.
• Can occasionally be seen considered as neuter rather than common.

Synonyms

• stekare

Anagrams

• bart

Vestinian

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *gʷrāt(i)s, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH-.

Noun

brat

1. grace, mercy
   • c.3rd-century BCE, CIL 9, 394.

     t.vetio / duno / didet / herclo / iovio / brat / data

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

• The phrase this term appears within is itself a common phrase throughout Sabellic languages. Compare "brat data" to "Oscan brateis datas" or "Paelignian brais datas." In these equivalent phrases, the form equivalent to brat is an abbreviation.
• De Vaan categorizes the term as a genitive singular but Conway categorizes it as an ablative feminine singular in an ablative absolute construction.
• The inscription this term was found in likely represents a dialect formed from a mix of Latin and Vestinian features

References

• Rex Wallace (1984) The Sabellian Languages‎^[26], Ohio State University
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
• Robert Seymour Conway (1897) The Italic Dialects‎^[27] (overall work in English), Cambridge University Press, page 605

Welsh

Etymology

Middle English bratt (“cloak”) or from Middle Irish bratt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /brat/
• Rhymes: -at

Noun

brat f (plural bratiau or bratau, diminutive bretyn)

1. rag

   Synonyms: cadach, clwt

2. apron, pinafore

   Synonyms: barclod, ffedog, pinaffor

Derived terms

• bratiaith

Mutation

Mutated forms of brat

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
brat	frat	mrat	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “brat”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies