bro, n.
Forms:
15– bro. (with point, chiefly in branch I.), 16– bro, 18– bro'. Also with capital initial.(Show Less)
Origin: Formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymon: brother n.
Etymology: Partly shortened < brother n. (originally as a graphic abbreviation), and partly (in branch II.) representing a regional or colloquial pronunciation of that word. With the uses in branch II. compare bra n.1, Brer n., and also Buh n., bredda n., and see discussion at those entries.
I. As a graphic abbreviation for brother.
1. In singular = brother n. (in various senses). In later use chiefly in religious or ceremonial titles.
a1530 T. Lupset Treat. Charitie
(1533)
f. 27
Bro. It is not syster, the numbre of wordes or of lynes, that maketh a tale or a boke to be called longe or shorte.
c1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1637
(1955)
II. 20
I accompanyd my Eldest Bro (who then quitted Oxford) into the Country.
1789 H. Newdigate Let. 1 July in A. E. Newdigate-Newdegate Cheverels of Cheverel Manor
(1898)
vi. 90
An Emotion of Grief..which he had suppress'd out of attention to the poor afflicted Bro. & Sister.
?1837 I. Smith Let. 27 Sept. in B. Lawrence & N. Branz Flagg Corr.
(1986)
49
About the 16 or 20 July I was in Hinesburg when I saw your Bro. Artemas.
1886 Proc. Grand Lodge Free & Accepted Masons Utah 121
If a prize was offered..and left to a vote of the readers, it would be a sure bet that Bro. Hedges would get away with it.
1975 Budget
(Sugarcreek, Ohio)
20 Mar. 8/5
Both Bro. David Wagler and his wife are plain people. They work helping this organization to distribute Bibles, hymn books and concordances behind the Iron Curtain.
2005 D. M. MacRaild Faith, Fraternity & Fighting iii. 93
The lodge master, Bro. Cameron, gave a report.
a1530—2005(Hide quotations)
2. In plural (in form Bros.). In the names of companies: brothers.In British English sometimes pronounced /brɒs/.
1834 Morning News & Public Ledger
(London)
17 May
Baring Bros. and Co.—50 planks 2 spars (for exportation).
1860 E. Walford County Families 49
(advt.)
Bass's East India Pale Ale..Berry, Bros., & Co.
1905 W. M. Gallichan Cheshire 161
Notice the old timbered house now occupied by Messrs George Bros., ironmongers.
1946 Life 3 June 19/2
Non-Bowery residents have long patronized Seckler Bros.
1975 Financial Times 14 Jan. 18/6
Stephen was leaving a job at Moss Bros. to put half Europe's youth into hipsters and polka dot shirts.
2012 New Yorker 10 Sept. 71/2
In the contract they signed with Warner Bros., however, the Wachowskis included a no-press clause.
1834—2012(Hide quotations)
II. slang and colloq. uses.
3. colloq. (orig. Caribbean and U.S. regional (southern) in African-American usage).
a. Usually with capital initial. As a title preceding a man's name, esp. a forename: ‘Brother’.Chiefly in the names of male animals in Caribbean or African-American folk tales. Cf. bra n.1 2, Brer n., bredda n. 2, Buh n.
1832 Rose Bud 29 Sept. 18/1
They found Jim seated in the piazza..singing, ‘You say bro' rabbit ben der’, for a group of little urchins.
1865 Nation 14 Dec. 744/2
I have heard Bro' (brother) used in the same way, but seldom; as in the song, ‘Bro' Bill, you ought to know my name.’
1921 J. H. Johnson Folk-lore from Antigua in Jrnl. Amer. Folklore 34 67
When Bro' Rabbit come near to de water, Bro' Barricuter speak to him.
1999 M. H. Wright Sounds like Home iii. 29
Frank also rode Sam and me piggyback and told us the story of Bro Rabbit and Bro Fox.
1832—1999(Hide quotations)
b. Used as a familiar form of address to a man. Cf. brother n. 4c, bra n.1 1a.
1918 E. C. Parsons Folk-tales of Andros Island, Bahamas in Mem. Amer. Folk-lore Soc. 13 30
Bro', I can't go, I sick bad, I can't walk at all.
1957 H. Simmons Corner Boy ii. ii. 154
‘Thanks, bro,’ the driver said.
1987 T. Wolfe Bonfire of Vanities
(1988)
4
Tell'im, bro... Y'on the case... Yo, Gober!
1992 E. Johnson & W. Novak My Life ii. 37
We loved it when they tried to talk black: ‘Yo, what's up, bro?’
2002 C. Newland Snakeskin v. 54
‘Excuse me.’ I began. ‘Whassup bro?’ he replied easily.
1918—2002(Hide quotations)
4. A person's male sibling; = brother n. 1a.Earliest in African-American usage in the southern United States; early examples in British English seem to have arisen independently, perhaps as public school slang.
1893 J. H. Walworth On Winning Side xxii. 253
By the time they [sc. horses] got home to-day, from fetchin' yo' mammy an' yo' bro' Seth backerds an' fo'erds, they was plum' give out.
1940 ‘N. Blake’ Malice in Wonderland ix. 132
I must..report to my bro on the sinister bloke we've just chased off.
1952 S. Bellow Einhorns in Perspectives No. 2. 126
This kid is a buddy of mine and he works for my bro.
1997 S. Fry Moab is my Washpot 5
My bro and I never called our parents Mum and Dad.
2002 A. Bourdain Bobby Gold Stories 61
You wake the kid and I'm gonna be real mad at you, little bro'.
1893—2002(Hide quotations)
5. slang (orig. and chiefly U.S.).
a. A man considered as a fellow member of a particular social or cultural group; spec. (originally in African-American usage) a (fellow) black man (cf. brother n. 4d). Also more generally: a man; a guy, a ‘dude’.
1922 M. E. Smith Adventures of Boomer Op. viii. 93
He'd never say ‘No’ to a wandering Bro' Who asked him for a meal.
1970 F. F. Ifetayo We Black Woman 14
Ready to love and Be loved by blacks To take the low down things Some bros. will pull on you.
1976 L. Bangs in Phonograph Rec. June 36/3
If we the (presumably) white jass-buffs couldn't get with it, maybe it was only meant for the bros.
1986 T. Philbin Under Cover xxvii. 121
Do you know Slim? You know, Slim with the fuckin' Afro and the gold tooth, tall, skinny bro?
2015 J. Chibbaro Into Dangerous World xliii. 252
We reached a park inhabited by homeless in tents and makeshift shacks. ‘These bros really got nowhere to live,’ Trey said.
1922—2015(Hide quotations)
b. A close male friend.
1969 Hartford
(Connecticut)
Courant 19 Mar. 41/2
Around their violent exploits and those of their ‘bros’ legends have been built that are told and built on and told again until finally they are tales of daring-do that would vie with great romances.
1974 Pittsburgh
(Pa.)
Press 2 Jan. 2/4
Charlie bailed them out—they were his ‘bros’—and total assets exhausted, withdrew from the real-estate market.
1991 S. Schepps Encino Man
(film script)
2
(stage direct.)
Stoney Marks, Hank's best friend since forever comes running out... Stoney and Hank have been bros ever since grammar school.
2014 Mitcham & Hills Messenger
(Adelaide, Australia)
(Nexis)
15 Oct. 9
I also loved going to the basketball with my best bro (Ben) in Newcastle.
1969—2014(Hide quotations)
c. A young man characterized as someone who addresses his friends and associates as ‘bro’; esp. one belonging to and socializing with a close-knit group of male peers, typically participating in activities perceived as male-oriented or unintellectual, and sometimes displaying boisterous or rowdy behaviour. Frequently somewhat depreciative.
1995 J. Humes & S. Wagstaff Boarderlands v.176/1
At night, boarders become even more conspicuous as they flirt with Lady Luck in the casinos. There's nothing like seeing a group of bros and Bettys gathered around the craps table with the slickster Mr. Vegas types.
2001 Post Standard
(Syracuse, N.Y.)
5 Dec. f56/2
Surfer bros and babes gearing up for the daily grind will find Hardpact Board Gear in a new location.
2003 A. Lochrie Fish Lips 141
Brian and I noticed that pretty much the dominant archetype at UC Santa Cruz is upper-crust, Volcom-, Hurley-wearing, SUV-driving, rich-daddy, privileged bros.
2014 Toronto Star
(Nexis)
31 Mar. s3
There were four drunken bros sitting at the baseline, shrieking at him like schoolgirls on Benzedrine.
1995—2014(Hide quotations)
Compounds
bro hug n. U.S. slang a friendly embrace between two men.In quot. 2001 as an expression of affection in an electronic communication.
2000 Re: Vermort-5 in rec.motorcycles.harley
(Usenet newsgroup)
6 Sept.
Rich…if you got out behind that computer terminal and went out to the meets I don't think they would pound the shit out of you. They would probably give you one of those big bro hugs and tell you your [sic] a funny guy.
2001 Re: That Peculiar Track ‘Wait a Minute’ in alt.fan.frank-zappa
(Usenet newsgroup)
25 Apr.
‘Sometimes I really love you... (That's platonically, of course!).’.. LOL I can dig it *bro hugs*.
2005 Skiing Jan. 116/1
Cliff..greeted me in Montreal with a weak bro-hug.
2015 Orange County
(Calif.)
Reg.
(Nexis)
19 July
He walked over to Pederson to congratulate him with a handshake that he extended into a bro hug.
2000—2015(Hide quotations)