Quote:
Originally posted by CutiePie2000
Fraternity comes from the Greek word "phratria", meaning people holding a common interest. So, in that sense, the ladies were taking it from the Greek "Phratria", rather than the Latin "frater" for brother. Also, remember, we are GREEK LETTER ORGS, not ROMAN letter orgs or LATIN letter orgs!
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Okay this is great information. I'm really into what is being said here.
This Phratria, I'm getting all over the net that this is a word meaning clan, or of the same family.
1)PHRATRIA
Subdivision of the phyle. In Attica, the four Ionic phylae each held three phratriae. Each phrtria held 30 families. After Cleisthenes, phratries remained signifiacant religiously.
http://ancienthistory.about.com/libr...l_phratria.htm
2)Phrater
The everyday word for brother in Greek is adelphos, not phrater. It comes from delphus, a Greek word for the womb. It meant a blood brother, one who was a brother by birth from the same mother. The use of adelphos in Greek led to the female equivalent, adelphi for sister. The word phrater devolved to designate those who were members of a phratria, a brotherhood under a social relationship in which the members understood themselves to be descended from the same remote father.
http://www.world-destiny.org/a19htl.htm
3)phratry
Pronunciation: 'frA-trE
Inflected Form(s): plural phratries
Etymology: Greek phratria, from phratEr member of the same clan, member of a phratry -- more at BROTHER
Date: 1833
1 : a kinship group forming a subdivision of a Greek phyle
2 : a tribal subdivision; specifically : an exogamous group typically comprising several totemic clans
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionar...ary&va=phratry
Now with this information, It makes me wonder about the part in your definition with the "people with common interest". It sounds better that way for the word to fit the usage. It has drawn me to ask more intriquing questions: 1) Could it be that within the usage of the word "Fraternity" for women, that phratry was found after the fact and extra meaning may have been placed on the word for sort of a retro fit? 2) Why would other organizations go to another completely different word? 3)Why not use the word Phratrie? 4) Could a new organization develop and use the term Phratrie, instead of Fraternity or Sorority? Or 5)would the term Phratrie, fit better as decriptions of pledge groups within a Fraternity or Sorority?
Sorry for the brain pain, but with so many knowledgable people out there, I know it'll be great to read your responses.