Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “brotherhood” come from?

Brotherhood comes from Middle English brotherhod, a compound of brother and the suffix -hood meaning a state or condition.

brotherhood (English): The state of being brothers or a brother; An...

Definitions

  1. The state of being brothers or a brother; An...

Ancestry of “brotherhood”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbrotherhod—
2Middle EnglishbrotherredeAlternative form of brotherhede; brotherhood,...
3Old Englishbrōþorrǣdenbrotherhood, fellowship; fellowship, brotherhood,...
Every word from Old English brōþorrǣden →