Debunking the "Brothel Law" Myth

[ASAlamb]

Building off of the brothel law rumor, a while back a woman on campus said that her sorority is called a women's fraternity because when her org was founded, a sorority was another word for a brothel. I've read that the word sorority didn't even exist until Gamma Phi Beta was founded... am I right in thinking she was ignorant/full of crap?

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by ASAlamb

Building off of the brothel law rumor, a while back a woman on campus said that her sorority is called a women's fraternity because when her org was founded, a sorority was another word for a brothel. I've read that the word sorority didn't even exist until Gamma Phi Beta was founded... am I right in thinking she was ignorant/full of crap?

First of all... yes, she's full of crap

Just like fraternity comes from the Latin word 'frater' which means 'brother', sorority comes from the Latin word 'soror' which means 'sister'.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by ASAlamb

Building off of the brothel law rumor, a while back a woman on campus said that her sorority is called a women's fraternity because when her org was founded, a sorority was another word for a brothel. I've read that the word sorority didn't even exist until Gamma Phi Beta was founded... am I right in thinking she was ignorant/full of crap?

Well, there was this fun thread.

But considering the other group on your campus is too old for that shiz, I would just tell her to get off her high horse and feed it some oats. The word didn't exist when they were founded.

[ASAlamb]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Well, there was this fun thread.

But considering the other group on your campus is too old for that shiz, I would just tell her to get off her high horse and feed it some oats. The word didn't exist when they were founded.

Your link just leads me to the reply form for this thread

I will probably just let this slide since we are currently making huge efforts toward a stronger Panhellenic spirit . Hopefully the whole chapter doesn't think that sorority = brothel though!

[33girl]

Phooey, I fixed it. Try it now.

[ASAlamb]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Phooey, I fixed it. Try it now.

Thanks for the link! I wonder if other women's fraternities are teaching their new members similar stuff as ZTA?

(Not that I want to resurrect a dead horse just to beat it to death again )

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by ASAlamb

I've read that the word sorority didn't even exist until Gamma Phi Beta was founded... am I right in thinking she was ignorant/full of crap?

Yes, you are right in thinking that, but . . .

. . . meaning absolutely no disrespect to Gamma Phi Beta or Dr. Brown, the word "sorority" did exist before Gamma Phi Beta. Sir Thomas More used it in his writings around 1530. Granted, it was never as common a word as "fraternity" (which had a long use among religious communities prior to its use for what we think of as fraternities), but it when he suggested it in the 1870s for Gamma Phi Beta, Dr. Brown could have been drawing on a knowledge of More's writings. Of course, he also could have been completely unaware of the previous use of the word and simply did what someone before him had done -- gone back to the Latin sororitas and anglicized it in a manner similar to fraternitas.

[SWTXBelle]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Yes, you are right in thinking that, but . . .

. . . meaning absolutely no disrespect to Gamma Phi Beta or Dr. Brown, the word "sorority" did exist before Gamma Phi Beta. Sir Thomas More used it in his writings around 1530. Granted, it was never as common a word as "fraternity" (which had a long use among religious communities prior to its use for what we think of as fraternities), but it when he suggested it in the 1870s for Gamma Phi Beta, Dr. Brown could have been drawing on a knowledge of More's writings. Of course, he also could have been completely unaware of the previous use of the word and simply did what someone before him had done -- gone back to the Latin sororitas and anglicized it in a manner similar to fraternitas.

We can give dear Dr. Brown credit for being the first to apply "sorority" to a women's GLO. It can be fun to state that Gamma Phi was the first SORORITY to Pi Phis or A D Pis =