Etymograph

English

brethren

Brethren comes from Old English brōþor ‘brothers, brethren’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰréh₂tēr‘brother’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*brōþēr‘brother’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*brōþer‘brother’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150brōþor‘brothers, brethren’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500brethere
  6. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500brethren
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1863same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰréh₂tēr‘brother’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*brōþēr‘brother’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*brōþer‘brother’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150brōþor‘brothers, brethren’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500brethere
  6. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500brethren
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1863same form

Earliest quotation: 1863, Jules Michelet: “The Introit over, the service is interrupted for the…”

Formed from brother + -en

Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr

Proto-Germanic *brōþēr

Proto-West Germanic *brōþer

Old English brōþor

Middle English brother ‘a brother or brother-in-law’

English brother

The story

Ultimately from Old English brōþor, brōþru (‘brothers, brethren’), influenced by Old English brēþer, dative singular of brōþor (‘brother’). The vowel change (from o to e) is called umlaut.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr ‘brother’

pal, fraternity, bhai, fra, fraternal, friar, frater, 11 more

through Old English brōþor ‘brothers, brethren’

brother, bro, 4 more

Today it means

noun kinsmen

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr / brethren

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