fraternal

fraternal [fruh-tur-nl] Word Origin adjective

1. of or befitting a brother or brothers; brotherly.
2. of or being a society of men associated in brotherly union, as for mutual aid or benefit: a fraternal order; a fraternal association.

Origin of fraternal 1375–1425; late Middle English Latin frātern(us) fraternal (derivative of frāter brother) + -al1 Related formsfra·ter·nal·ism, nounfra·ter·nal·ly, adverbin·ter·fra·ter·nal, adjectivein·ter·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverbnon·fra·ter·nal, adjectivenon·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverbpre·fra·ter·nal, adjectivepre·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverbqua·si-fra·ter·nal, adjectivequa·si-fra·ter·nal·ly, adverbun·fra·ter·nal, adjectiveun·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverb British Dictionary definitions for inter-fraternal fraternal adjective

1. of or suitable to a brother; brotherly
2. of or relating to a fraternity
3. designating either or both of a pair of twins of the same or opposite sex that developed from two separate fertilized ovaCompare identical (def. 3)

Derived Formsfraternalism, nounfraternally, adverbWord Origin for fraternal C15: from Latin frāternus, from frāter brother Word Origin and History for inter-fraternal fraternal adj.

early 15c., from Middle French fraternel and directly from Medieval Latin fraternalis, from Latin fraternus “brotherly” (see fraternity). The noun meaning “fraternal twin” is recorded by 1911.

inter-fraternal in Medicine fraternal [frə-tûr′nəl] adj.

1. Of or relating to brothers.
2. Of, relating to, or being a twin developed from two separately fertilized ova; dizygotic.