fraternal
Meaning
relating to or like a brother or brothers; brotherly.
of or denoting a twin or twins that developed from two separate ova and are not genetically identical.
Structure
Usage
there was a strong fraternal bond between the soldiers who had served together.
the organization promotes fraternal cooperation among its members worldwide.
they are fraternal twins, so they don't look identical.
Etymology
the word 'fraternal' has a direct lineage from the latin noun 'frāter', meaning 'brother'. this latin term is itself derived from the proto-indo-european root 'bʰréh₂tēr', which carried the same meaning and is the ancestor of 'brother' in many indo-european languages. the latin adjective 'frāternus' was formed from 'frāter' to mean 'brotherly'. english borrowed this concept, adapting the medieval latin form 'fraternalis' into 'fraternal', which retains the core sense of brotherhood. the modern usage extends this biological and familial bond to describe feelings of companionship within organized groups, such as fraternal societies, and specifically denotes dizygotic twins in biological contexts.
Analysis
fratern (from latin 'frāternus', meaning 'brotherly', itself from 'frāter' meaning 'brother'); al (a latin-derived suffix forming adjectives meaning 'of, relating to, or characterized by').