frater

Frater is a term that denotes brotherhood, deriving from the Latin frater, meaning brother. In English and other languages influenced by Latin, frater appears in religious, academic, and fraternal contexts to address or describe male members of a community. It is related to the English words fraternal, fraternity, and fraternitas, and forms a counterpart to soror in contexts that distinguish male and female members.

In religious usage, frater is commonly used as a formal title for male members within monasteries, convents, and other religious orders. It is typically placed before the given name (for example, Frater Michael) to signal fraternity rather than kinship. In female communities the corresponding form is usually sister or Soror in languages that use those cognates.

In Freemasonry and other fraternal organizations, "Frater" is a standard form of address to male members, often followed by a surname. The term underscores the ceremonial bond of brotherhood central to these groups. Where women participate in related orders, forms such as "Sister" or "Soror" are used instead.

Etymology and related forms: Frater comes from Latin frater; the plural nominative is fratres. The term gave rise to words such as fraternal, fraternity, and fraternitas, and has influenced Catholic and secular terms that refer to fellowship or brotherhood.