the.com/brethren
Plural of brother, for when 'brothers' feels too casual for your sermon.
means An old-fashioned plural of 'brother,' used for members of a religious, fraternal, or otherwise tightly bonded group.
from From Old English 'brōthor,' which had an irregular plural 'brōthru.' By Middle English, this evolved into 'brethren,' using an old '-en' plural pattern (the same one that gave us 'children' and 'oxen'). Meanwhile, the everyday plural 'brothers' took over the regular '-s' pattern for ordinary use. English kept both: 'brothers' for the family at Sunday dinner, 'brethren' for the solemn, ceremonial, or spiritual kind — churches, lodges, and sermons claimed it and never let go.
- usage zone
- religious texts, oaths, and overwrought speeches
- not plural rule
- irregular, like children or oxen
- modern brothers
- replaced it everywhere except church and ceremony
- gender note
- technically includes sistren, rarely used