brotherhood
n. C / Un. a strong feeling of friendship and support between people, especially men. It can also mean an organized group of people who share the same interests or goals.
n. the state or quality of being brothers; a fellowship or association of people linked by common interests, ideals, or professions.
The soldiers shared a deep sense of brotherhood.
The local brotherhood of firefighters organizes a charity run every summer to support the community hospital.
Beyond mere professional cooperation, the long-standing brotherhood among the union members ensured that no individual was left to face the economic downturn without communal support.
From Middle English brotherhod, equivalent to brother + -hood, from earlier brotherhede, alteration (influenced by suffixes in -hood, -head) of Early Middle English brotherrede (“brotherhood, fraternity”), from Old English brōþorrǣden (“brotherhood, fellowship”), equivalent to brother + -red (see brotherred). More at brother, -red. Piecewise doublet of friarhood.
Uncountable when referring to the abstract feeling of fellowship; countable when referring to a specific organization or group.