frater
[ˈfraː.tɛr]
The English phrase "bro" can be translated into Latin as frater.
In Latin, frater refers to a male comrade or friend, someone who shares one's ideals or a brother in a biological sense.
Meaning: male comrade or friend, one who shares one’s ideals (noun)
Which one should you use?
The term frater is specifically masculine and cannot be used to refer to a female comrade. For a female comrade or sister, you should use soror.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes its form depending on its role in a sentence: fratrem is used when the word is the direct object of a verb, fratrum indicates possession by multiple brothers and fratribus is used when giving something to brothers or speaking about them in an ablative context.
Did you know?
- The word frater is the root of 'fratricide', which specifically describes the act of killing one's own brother.
- In Roman social hierarchies, calling someone frater could signify a 'spiritual' bond or membership in a specific religious cult rather than just being friendly.
- In Roman legal texts, frater could refer to a half-brother or a step-brother, as the Romans focused on the social bond of the household.
Examples in context
- Frater meus est optimus.My bro is the best.
- Salve, frater!Greetings, bro!
Example conversation
Two friends are meeting in a courtyard.
- LuciusUt vales, frater?How are you, bro?
- LuciaBene valeo, Luci.I am doing well, Lucius.
- LuciusVisne mecum ambulare?Do you want to walk with me?
- LuciaIta, libenter ambulo.Yes, I would love to walk.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry frater, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
