milk-brother
Definition
Noun - A male child who is not biologically related but was nursed by the same woman (a wet nurse) as another child. In historical or cultural contexts, a "milk-brother" refers to a boy raised alongside another boy (or girl) because both were fed by the same wet nurse, creating a non-blood kinship.
Usage Examples
- (A male child nursed by the same wet nurse as another child.)
- (Two boys from different social classes bonded through shared nursing.)
Advanced Usage
- "Milk-brother" as a term of endearment or social bond: It can be used metaphorically to describe a strong, brother-like connection formed through shared early care.
- They called each other milk-brothers, though they came from different families. (They used the term to emphasize their close childhood bond.)
Variants and Related Words
- Milk-sister (n): a female child who was nursed by the same wet nurse as another child.
- She was his milk-sister, though they had no blood relation. (A girl who shared a wet nurse with another child.)
- Milk-kin (n): a general term for relatives formed through shared wet-nursing (e.g., milk-brother, milk-sister).
- In this culture, milk-kin are treated as extended family. (Non-blood relatives through nursing.)
Synonyms
- Foster-brother: a boy raised in the same household as another child, though not by blood, often through foster care.
- Wet-nurse sibling: a child nursed by the same wet nurse as another; a more descriptive synonym.
Related Idioms
- "Brothers of the milk": an idiomatic expression referring to milk-brothers, emphasizing the bond formed through shared nursing.
- They were brothers of the milk, bound by the same wet nurse. (Used to describe the relationship of milk-brothers.)
Notes on Usage
- The term "milk-brother" is historical and largely obsolete in modern English, though it may appear in anthropological, literary, or historical contexts (e.g., in stories set in pre-modern societies or discussions of kinship systems).