| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| fraternity |
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| SYLLABICATION: | fra·ter·ni·ty |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  fr -tûr n -t |
| NOUN: | Inflected forms: pl. fra·ter·ni·ties
1. A body of people associated for a common purpose or interest, such as a guild. 2. A group of people joined by similar backgrounds, occupations, interests, or tastes: the fraternity of bird watchers. 3. A chiefly social organization of men students at a college or university, usually designated by Greek letters. 4. Roman Catholic Church A sodality. 5. The quality or condition of being brothers; brotherliness. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English fraternite, from Old French, from Latin fr ternits, from frternus, fraternal. See fraternal.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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