broþor

Old English

Alternative forms

• brōþer, brōþur, brōðer, brōður

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *brōþer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbroː.θor/, [ˈbroː.ðor]

Noun

brōþor m

1. brother

   Mīn brōþor hæfþ twēġen cattas.

   My brother has two cats.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Saint Maur, Abbot"

     Þā ġecwæð sē abbod and ealle þā ġebrōðra þæt þēr ne mihte nā mā muneca wunian...

     Then said the abbot and all the brothers, that no more monks could dwell there...

Usage notes

• The word brōþor is attested in many different forms in the plural. The unmarked form, identical to the singular, is “attested early,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary also describes the forms with <-ru> as “frequent,” along with the forms with <-ra>. The forms with <ġe-> are described by the Oxford English Dictionary as being from “a typical West Germanic formation in which the prefix denotes mutual relationship.”

Declension

Declension of brōþor

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	brōþor	brōþor, ġebrōþor, brōþra, ġebrōþra, brōþru, ġebrōþru
accusative	brōþor	brōþor, ġebrōþor, brōþra, ġebrōþra, brōþru, ġebrōþru
genitive	brōþor	brōþra, ġebrōþra
dative	brēþer	brōþrum, ġebrōþrum

Derived terms

• brōþorcwealm (“fratricide”)
• brōþorlēas
• brōþorlīċ
• brōþorrǣden
• brōþorsċiepe
• brōþorsleġe (“fratricide”)

Descendants

• Middle English: brother
  • English: brother (see there for further descendants)
  • Scots: brither, bruther, broder, bruder
  • Yola: brover, brower