What is the difference between brothers and brethren

What are you actually looking for? Brother and brethren alliterate. It is the sound that matters in alliteration, not the spelling or the meaning. A fantastic phantasm alliterates. Andygc said:. The spelling of Old English was not regular and there were many varieties of spellings reflecting the accent of the scribe.

Huda said:. Maybe I thought there is a semantic relation between brother and brethren because their meanings are closely related. PaulQ said:. Various versions work - probably because it is so rare: a H. Coleridge Ess. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms ed. A vulgar pronunciation sometimes heard from uneducated preachers at the West. See a translation.

I dont think there is a difference because both words are the plural tense of "brother". For example, "brothers" could be used to describe multiple male siblings. The one learning a language! Learn about premium features. Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary. See also: Brethren. StoneyB on hiatus StoneyB on hiatus k 13 13 gold badges silver badges bronze badges. Brethren is still used in certain modern religious scenarios.

For example, some Churches might refer to the leaders of the church as the Brethren. Certainly you're right that this word is not in common spoken or written English though. Matt I think that's covered in my second 'context', but I've made a small edit to make that clearer.

These organizations which aren't only churches - consider the Brethren of the Rosy Cross, for instance use the old plural because it has an archaic, religious ring. And I suggest that ring derives primarily from the prestige of the KJV. Out of curiosity: Would brethren in the cases where it is used be understood to be less sexist than brother and sister?

Those who use it belong for the most part to highly patriarchal subcultures where those who are concerned about sexism will find much more pressing issues to chafe at than the language! Show 2 more comments. The plural of brother as in "male sibling" is always brothers. He had six brothers and three sisters, so family gatherings tended to be large affairs. Bottom line: Martha Martha 5, 2 2 gold badges 22 22 silver badges 44 44 bronze badges. Or: Don't use brethren unless somebody else uses it first.

Brothers is the correct term for referring to your male siblings. It can be used in the following scenarios: To refer to members of your religious group esp. Uncommonly it can also refer to some other pseudo-religious or old fashioned clubs and societies: Meet Jeff.