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Brother vs Bother - What's the difference?

brother | bother |

In transitive terms the difference between brother and bother

is that brother is to treat as a brother while bother is to annoy, to disturb, to irritate.

brother

English

Alternative forms

* brotha (Jamaican English)

Noun

(en-noun)
  • Son of the same parents as another person.
  • * , chapter=10
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers .}}
  • A male having at least one parent in common with another (see half-brother, stepbrother).
  • A male fellow member of a religious community, church, trades union etc.
  • * The Bible, Deuteronomy 23:19 (NKJV)
  • You shall not charge interest to your brother —interest on money or'' food ''or anything that is lent out at interest.
  • (African American Vernacular English) A black male.
  • * 2013 , Gwyneth Bolton, Ready for Love
  • But damn if they knew when to just leave a brother alone and let him sulk in silence.
  • Someone who is a peer, whether male or female.
  • *
  • And, above all, no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers .

    Usage notes

    The plural “brethren” is not used for biological brothers in contemporary English (although it was in older usage). It is, however, still very common when meaning “members of a religious order”. It is also sometimes used in other figurative senses, e.g. “adherents of the same religion”, “countrymen”, and the like.

    Coordinate terms

    * (with regards to gender) sister

    Hypernyms

    * (son of common parents) sibling

    Derived terms

    (Terms derived from the noun "brother") * big brother/Big Brother * blood brother * bro * brother german * brother-in-arms * brother-in-law * Brother Jonathan * brothered * brotherhood * brotherlike * brotherly * bruv * bruvver * Christian Brother * co-brother * cousin brother/cousin-brother * everyone and their brother/everybody and their brother * foster brother/foster-brother * half brother/half-brother * lay brother * little brother * milk brother * soul brother * stepbrother/step-brother * uterine brother * Xaverian Brother

    Descendants

    * Bahamian Creole: (l) * Belize Kriol English: (l) * Bislama: (l) * Cameroon Pidgin: * Gullah: (l) * Islander Creole English: (l) * Krio: (l) * Nicaraguan Creole: (l) * Nigerian Pidgin: (l) * Pichinglis: * Pijin: (l) * Portuguese: * Saramaccan: * Tok Pisin: (l), (l)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To treat as a brother.
  • * 1819 , Walter Scott, Ivanhoe
  • * Seest thou not we are overreached, and that our proposed mode of communicating with our friends without has been disconcerted by this same motley gentleman thou art so fond to brother ?
  • Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • We're being forced to work overtime? Oh, brother !

    bother

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To annoy, to disturb, to irritate.
  • Would it bother you if I smoked?
  • To feel care or anxiety; to make or take trouble; to be troublesome.
  • Why do I even bother to try?
  • * Henry James
  • without bothering about it
  • To do something which is of negligible inconvenience.
  • You didn't even bother to close the door.

    Synonyms

    * (annoy, disturb ): annoy, disturb, irritate, put out, vex * See also

    Usage notes

    * This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive'' or the ''gerund (-ing) . See

    Noun

  • Fuss, ado.
  • There was a bit of bother at the hairdresser's when they couldn't find my appointment in the book.
  • * '>citation
  • Trouble, inconvenience.
  • Yes, I can do that for you - it's no bother .

    Interjection

  • A mild expression of annoyance.
  • * 1926 , A A Milne, Winnie the Pooh'', Methuen & Co., Ltd., Chapter 2 ''...in which Pooh goes visiting and gets into a tight place :
  • "Oh, help!" said Pooh. "I'd better go back."
    "Oh, bother !" said Pooh. "I shall have to go on."
    "I can't do either!" said Pooh. "Oh, help and bother !"

    Synonyms

    * blast, dang (US ), darn