Borrowed from Middle French fraternel, from Medieval Latin frāternālis, from Latin frāternus, from frāter.

• (America) IPA: /fɹəˈtɝnəl/

fraternal

1. Of or pertaining to a brother or brothers.
2. Of or pertaining to a fraternity.
3. Platonic or friendly.
   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter I, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC ↗:

     […] a delighted shout from the children swung him toward the door again. His sister, Mrs. Gerard, stood there in carriage gown and sables, radiant with surprise. ¶ "Phil!  You!  Exactly like you, Philip, to come strolling in from the antipodes—dear fellow!" recovering from the fraternal embrace and holding both lapels of his coat in her gloved hands.

4. (genetics) Of twins or embryos, produced from two different egg and sperm, and genetically distinct.

• brotherly

• frater
• frater house
• fraternalisation
• fraternalise

• fraternalism
• fraternality
• fraternisation
• fraternise
• fraternity
• fratery
• fratricidal
• fratricide
• fratry

• French: fraternel
• German: brüderlich
• Italian: fraterno, fraternale (rare)
• Portuguese: fraterno, fraternal
• Russian: бра́тский
• Spanish: fraternal, fraterno

fraternal (plural fraternals)

1. A society formed to provide mutual aid, such as insurance.
2. A fraternal twin.