Note: This form of the plural is used, for the most part, in solemn address, and in speaking of religious sects or fraternities, or their members. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
brethren — index affinity (family ties), blood, kindred, society Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
brethren — alternative plural of BROTHER (Cf. brother) (q.v.); predominant c.1200 1600s, but surviving only in religious usage … Etymology dictionary
brethren — archaic plural of BROTHER(Cf. ↑brotherly). ► PLURAL NOUN ▪ fellow Christians or members of a male religious order … English terms dictionary
brethren — [breth′rən; , breth′ərn] pl.n. [ME bretheren, pl.: see BROTHER] brothers: now chiefly in religious use … English World dictionary
Brethren — The Brethren are a number of Protestant Christian religious bodies using the word brethren in their names. In some cases these similarities of name reflect roots in the same early Brethren groups, and in others the adoption of Brethren as part of … Wikipedia
Brethren — Die Bezeichnung Brethren (deutsch Brüder, Geschwister) bzw. Brethren Church tragen im englischen Sprachraum mehrere protestantische Kirchen und Glaubensgemeinschaften im Namen. Aus der Namensähnlichkeit kann nicht auf gemeinsame historische… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Brethren — En anglais, Brethren est un pluriel de brother (frère) rarement usité. Le terme est principalement utilisé dans les cercles chrétiens, soit pour faire référence à un ordre fraternel, soit pour évoquer une des nombreuses dénominations chrétiennes … Wikipédia en Français
brethren — /bredh rin/, n.pl. 1. fellow members. 2. Archaic. brothers. Syn. 1, 2. See brother. * * * ▪ religious organization group of Protestant (Protestantism) churches that trace their origin to Schwarzenau, Hesse, where in 1708 a group of seven… … Universalium
Brethren — Within the Protestant movement, several distinct groups have at different times assumed the name Brethren; the name implied the closeness and intimacy they saw as a feature of their fellowship and also allowed them to distinguish themselves… … Encyclopedia of Protestantism
Brethren — Brother Broth er (br[u^][th] [ e]r), n.; pl. {Brothers} (br[u^][th] [ e]rz) or {Brethren} (br[e^][th] r[e^]n). See {Brethren}. [OE. brother, AS. br[=o][eth]or; akin to OS. brothar, D. broeder, OHG. pruodar, G. bruder, Icel. br[=o][eth]ir, Sw. &… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
