confraternity
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con·fra·ter·ni·ty
(kŏn′frə-tûr′nĭ-tē)n. pl. con·fra·ter·ni·ties
An association of persons united in a common purpose or profession.
[Middle English confraternite, from Old French, from Medieval Latin cōnfrāternitās, from cōnfrāter, colleague; see confrere.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
confraternity
(ˌkɒnfrəˈtɜːnɪtɪ)n, pl -ties
a group of men united for some particular purpose, esp Christian laymen organized for religious or charitable service; brotherhood
[C15: from Medieval Latin confrāternitās; see confrère, fraternity]
ˌconfraˈternal adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
con•fra•ter•ni•ty
(ˌkɒn frəˈtɜr nɪ ti)n., pl. -ties.
1. a lay brotherhood devoted to some religious or charitable service.
2. a society, esp. of men, united for some purpose or in some profession.
[1425–75; late Middle English < Medieval Latin confrāternitās, derivative of confrāter (see confrere), on the model of Latin frāternitās fraternity]
con`fra•ter′nal, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
confraternity
a brotherhood, especially a group of men bound by a common goal or interest.
See also: Society-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Confraternity
an association of men united together for some profession or object. See also brotherhood, clan, fraternity.Examples: confraternity of aldermen, 1654; of chimney sweeps, 1688; of men-milliners [‘dandies’], 1885; of monks and friars, 1688; of potters, 1601; of traitors, 1872.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.