Where does “brethren” come from?

Brethren comes from Middle English brethren, formed with the Middle English plural suffix -en from Old English -en, ultimately from Proto-Germanic jainaz and Proto-Indo-European bʰréh₂tēr meaning "brother."

brethren (English): plural of brother; The body of members,...

Definitions

  1. plural of brother; The body of members,...

Ancestry of “brethren”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbrethren—
2Old Englishbrōþorbrother
3Proto-West Germanicbrōþerbrother
4Proto-Germanicbrōþērbrother
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰréh₂tērbrother

Words derived from “brethren”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰréh₂tēr →Every word from Proto-Germanic brōþēr →Every word from Proto-West Germanic brōþer →