blood brother
/'blʌd'brʌðə/
Definition
- Noun:
- A male bound by a ritual oath of brotherhood: A man who has sworn a solemn pledge, often involving a ceremony where blood is mingled, to treat another man as his true brother. This relationship is based on choice and commitment rather than biology.
- A male sibling: A man who shares the same biological parents as another person; a brother by birth.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Sworn Brotherhood):
- In the ancient ritual, they became blood brothers, vowing to protect each other for life.
- Though not related by family, they considered themselves blood brothers after surviving the ordeal together.
- Noun (Biological Brother):
- He is my blood brother; we grew up in the same house.
- The will divided the estate equally between the deceased man's blood brothers.
Advanced Usage
- "Sworn blood brother": Emphasizes the ceremonial and pledged nature of the relationship.
- They were not just friends; they were sworn blood brothers.
- The term can be used metaphorically to describe an extremely close, loyal, and intimate friendship between men.
- After decades of partnership, the two businessmen were like blood brothers.
Variants and Related Words
- Blood brotherhood (n): The state or institution of being blood brothers.
- The pact of blood brotherhood was sacred to the tribe.
- Sworn brother: A near-synonym emphasizing the oath.
- Foster brother: A male raised in the same family but not biologically related.
- Brother-in-arms: A comrade from military service, implying deep loyalty but not necessarily a formal oath.
Synonyms
- Sworn brother: A brother by oath.
- Biological brother: A brother by birth.
- Kin, sibling: For the biological sense.
Related Phrases
- Blood oath: The solemn vow often taken to become blood brothers.
- They sealed their alliance with a blood oath.
- Brother by choice: A modern phrase describing a deep, chosen fraternal bond.
Related Idioms
- Thicker than water: Often part of the saying "Blood is thicker than water," which originally emphasized the bonds of (the "blood covenant") over birth family ("water" of the womb). In modern usage, it is often reversed to mean family ties are strongest.
- They proved that the bond of blood brothers can be thicker than water.
Noun
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a male sworn (usually by a ceremony involving the mingling of blood) to treat another as his brother
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a male with the same parents as someone else
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my brother still lives with our parents
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Từ chứa "blood brother"
