1. (n.) A spiritual or social fellowship\; The state of being brothers or a brother.

2. (n.) An association for any purpose, as a society of monks; a fraternity.

3. (n.) The whole body of persons engaged in the same business, -- especially those of the same profession; as, the legal or medical brotherhood.

4. (n.) Persons, and, poetically, things, of a like kind.

affectionateness affiliation agnation alliance ancestry association benignancy benignity blood blood relationship boon companionship brotherliness brothership camaraderie chumship circle clique club cognation colleagueship common ancestry common descent community community of interest companionship compassion comradeship confraternity confrerie connection consanguinity consortship country club cousinhood cousinship enation esprit de corps fatherhood feeling of kinship fellow feeling fellowship filiation fraternal feeling fraternal order fraternalism fraternity freemasonry friendship goodness goodness of heart graciousness guild heart of gold humaneness humanity kindheartedness kindliness kindly disposition kindness kindred kinship league loving kindness maternity matrilineage matriliny matrisib matrocliny motherhood niceness order organization paternity patrilineage patriliny patrisib patrocliny propinquity relation relationship secret society set sibship sisterhood sisterliness sistership society sodality softheartedness sorority soul of kindness sympathy tenderheartedness ties of blood union warmheartedness warmth warmth of heart