Fraternity
A fraternity (from Latin frater: "brother"; "brotherhood"), fraternal order or fraternal organisation is an order, organisation, society or a club of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western concept developed in the Christian context, notably with the religious orders in the Catholic Church during the middle ages. A notion eventually further extended with the middle age guilds, followed by the early modern formation of gentlemen's clubs, freemasons, odd fellows, student fraternities and fraternal service organisations. Members are occasionally referred to as a brother or - usually in religious context - Frater or Friar.
Today, connotions of fraternities vary according to the context, including companionships and brotherhoods dedicated to the religious, intellectual, academic, physical and/or social pursuits of its members. Additionally, in modern times, it sometimes connotes a secret society, especially regarding freemasonry, odd fellows and various academic and student societies.
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