Etymograph

English

fra

Fra comes from Italian frate ‘brother’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰréh₂tēr‘brother’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*frātēr‘brother’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfrāter‘brother’
  4. Italianc. 1300–presentfrate‘brother’
  5. Englishearliest quotation a. 1883fra

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰréh₂tēr‘brother’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*frātēr‘brother’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfrāter‘brother’
  4. Italianc. 1300–presentfrate‘brother’
  5. Englishearliest quotation a. 1883fra

Earliest quotation: a. 1883, Prologue at Ischia: “You have at Naples your Fra Bernardino; / And…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr ‘brother’

brother, bro, pal, brethren, bhai, 11 more

through Latin frāter ‘brother’

fraternity, friar, fraternal, frater, 5 more

Today it means

noun A title of a friar or monk: brother.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr / fra

Shirt and support for this word