Etymograph

English

brother

Brother comes from Middle English brother ‘a brother or brother-in-law’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰréh₂tērreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*brōþērreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*brōþerreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150brōþor
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500brother‘a brother or brother-in-law’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1819brother

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰréh₂tērreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*brōþērreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*brōþerreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150brōþor
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500brother‘a brother or brother-in-law’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1819brother

Earliest quotation: 1819, Walter Scott: “Seest thou not we are overreached, and that our…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr

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

through Old English brōþor

brethren, 4 more

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

bro, 2 more

Today it means

noun Son of the same parents as another person.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr / brother

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