Where does “brethren” come from?
brethren (Middle English) comes from Old English brōþor, from Proto-West Germanic brōþer, from Proto-Germanic brōþēr, from Proto-Indo-European bʰréh₂tēr — brother.
Ancestry of “brethren”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | brōþor | brother |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | brōþer | brother |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | brōþēr | brother |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰréh₂tēr | brother |
Words derived from “brethren”