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adj. 1. a. Of or relating to brothers: a close fraternal tie. b. Showing comradeship; brotherly. 2. a. Of or constituting a fraternity: a fraternal association. b. Roman Catholic Church Of or constituting a mendicant order such as the Dominicans or Franciscans. 3. Biology Of, relating to, or being a twin developed from two separately fertilized ova; dizygotic. [Middle English, from Old French fraternel, from Medieval Latin frāternālis, from Latin frāternus, from frāter, brother; see bhrāter- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] fra·ternal·ism n. fra·ternal·ly adv. |
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