[a. OF. fraternité, ad. L. frāternitāt-em, f. frāternus pertaining to a brother: see FRATERNAL and -ITY.]
1. The relation of a brother or of brothers; brotherhood.
1390. Gower, Conf., II. 186.
| In the virgine, where he [the godhede] nome | |
| Oure flesshe and verray man become | |
| Of bodely fraternite. |
1582. Bentley, Mon. Matrones, ii. 22. O my father! what paternitie? O my brother! what fraternitie? O my child! what delectation? O my spouse! what coniunction is this?
1659. Pearson, Creed, i. 51. If we be heirs, we must be coheirs with Christ; if sons, we must be brethren to the onely begotten: but being he came not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent him, he acknowledgeth no fraternity but with such as do the same.
1669. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, I. I. ii. 12. A Phenician Fable touching the Fraternitie of al men made out of the Earth: Which relates to Adams formation out of the Earth.
2. The state or quality of being fraternal or brotherly; brotherliness.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, XVI. iii. Therfor was the round table founden and the Chyualry hath ben at alle tymes soo by the fraternyte whiche was there that she myght not be ouercomen.
1598–9. E. Forde, Parismus, I. vi. (1636), 34. Those Out-lawes … continued a great fraternity amongst them.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. To the King, § 13. There cannot but be a fraternitie in learning and illumination relating to that Paternitie which is attributed to God.
1793. Burke, Conduct of the Minority, § 35. To substitute the principles of fraternity in the room of that salutary prejudice called our Country.
1844. Thirlwall, Greece, VIII. 255. It was a treaty of friendship, fraternity, and alliance, offensive and defensive.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), III. 106, The Republic, Introduction. Equality and fraternity of governors and governed.
† 3. A family of brothers. Obs. rare.
a. 1635. Naunton, Fragmenta Regalia (Arb.), 23. When there is an ample fraternity of the bloud Royall, and of the Princes of the Bloud. Ibid., 40. Between these two Families, there was … no great correspondencie … there was a time when (both these Fraternities being met at Court) there passed a challenge between them at certain exercises.
4. A body or order of men organized for religious or devout purposes.
Letters of fraternity: letters granted by a convent or an order to its benefactors entitling those named in them to a share in the benefits of its prayers and good works.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 188.
| With [þam] were þe templers, & þer fraternite, | |
| Fals in alle maners, so tellis þe stori me. |
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. VIII. 179. Thauh thou be founden in fraternite · a-mong the foure ordres.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 12. Ȝif þei maken wyues and oþer wymmen hure sustris bi lettris of fraternite.
1401. Pol. Poems (Rolls), II. 29.
| Why be ye so hardie to grant by letters | |
| of fraternitie to men and women, | |
| that they shall have part and merite | |
| of all your good deedes? |
a. 1512. Fabyan, Will, in Chron., Pref. 5. To the fraternytie of our Lady and seynt Anne, wtin the said church xijd.
1653. H. Cogan, trans. Pinto’s Trav., xxvii. 105. Like unto the fraternity of mercy among the Papists, which onely out of charity, and for the honour of God, do tend those that are sick, and liberally furnish them with all things necessary.
1703. Maundrell, Journ. Jerus. (1732), 70. Besides their several apartments, each Fraternity have their Altars and Sanctuary, properly and distinctly allotted to their own use.
1788. Priestley, Lect. Hist., IV. xxv. 193. In each mitred abbey of the order of St. Benedict, some persons of the fraternity, of ability and care, were appointed to register the most considerable events; and after the death of every king these different memoirs were laid before a chapter of the order, to be reduced to a body of history, which was preserved in their archives for the instruction of posterity.
1851. D. Wilson, Preh. Ann. (1863), II. IV. viii. 398. To her and to her sons we chiefly owe the eradication of the Culdees, the successors of the first recluses and monks who established religious fraternities in Scotland.
5. A body of men associated by some tie or common interest; a company, guild.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Prol., 364. An Haberdassher and a Carpenter … clothed in o liveree, Of a solempne and greet fraternitee.
1389. in Eng. Gilds (1870), 4. Eche broþer oþer suster þt ben of þe fraternite, ȝif he be of power, he schal ȝeue somwhat in maintenance of þe bretherhede.
1433. E. E. Wills (1882), 95. Y be-quethe to the fraternyte of my crafte of cokes.
1483. Caxton, Cato, 2. I William Caxton Cytezeyn and coniurye of the same and of the fraternyte and felauship of the mercerye.
1611. Coryat, Crudities, 13. This dooth the fraternity of the shoemakers carry in solemne procession every St. Stephens day.
a. 1674. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., xv. § 15. Don Alonzo remain’d still in London without notice of what was done, till the Affair of Jamaica was upon the Exchange, and Fraternities enter’d into there for the better carrying on that Plantation.
1762. H. Walpole, Vertue’s Anecd. Paint., I. iv. 59. Their first charter in which they are styled Peyntours, was granted in the 6th of Edward IV, but they had existed as a fraternity long before.
1851. D. Wilson, Preh. Ann. (1863), II. IV. viii. 442. The ancient and mysterious fraternity of Free Masons.
1871. Yeats, Techn. Hist. Comm., 358. Scarcely a town of importance in Germany or in Italy was without its fraternity of goldsmiths, from whose studios came some of the richest and choicest works of art.
attrib. 1671. Evelyn, Diary, 21 Sept. I din’d in the City, at the fraternity feast in yron-mongers Hall.
6. A body of men of the same class, occupation, pursuits, etc.
1561. Awdelay (title), The Fraternitye of Vacabondes.
1653. Walton, Angler, i. 4. Viat. Why Sir, I pray, of what Fraternity are you, that you are so angry with the poor Otter? Pisc. I am a Brother of the Angle, and therefore an enemy to the Otter, he does me and my friends so much mischief.
1686. N. Cox, Gentl. Recreat., v. (ed. 3), 44. Some ignorant Grooms, who because they have acquired a false Reputation by living in some Noblemans or Gentlemans Service, that are noted Sportsmen, think they are able to give Laws to all their Fraternity.
1712. Henley, Spect., No. 396, 4 June, ¶ 2. Whether a general Inter-marriage, injoined by Parliament, between this Sisterhood of the Olive Beauties, and the Fraternity of the People call’d Quakers, would not be a very serviceable Expedient.
1793. Burke, Conduct of the Minority, § 25. The higher part of the French fraternity in that town.
1838. Murray’s Hand-bk. N. Germ., 91. Calais is one of those places where the fraternity of couriers have a station.
1858. Froude, Hist. Eng., III. xv. 269. He [Henry] was himself ardently anxious to resume his place in the fraternity of European sovereigns.
