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Born before another; prior in years; senior; earlier; older; as, his elder brother died in infancy; -- opposed to Ant: younger, and now commonly applied to a son, daughter, child, brother, etc. The elder shall serve the younger. Gen. xxv. 23. But ask of elder days, earth's vernal hour. Keble. Elder hand (Card Playing),…

Born or living first, or before the others, as a son, daughter, brother, etc.; first in origin. See Elder. "My lady's eldest son." Shak. Their eldest historians are of suspected credit. Bp. Stillingfleet. Eldest hand (Card Playing), the player on the dealer's left hand. R. A. Proctor.

The elliptical orbit of a planet. The Sun flies forward to his brother Sun; The dark Earth follows wheeled in her ellipse. Tennyson.

o take care of himself. "Enough is as good as a feast." And Esau said, I have enough, my brother. Gen. xxxiii. 9.

Fl. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. Prov. i. 10. Go, and thine erring brother gain, Entice him home to be forgiven. Keble.

The son of Chaos and brother of Nox, who dwelt in Erebus. To the infernal deep, with Erebus and tortures vile. Shak.

rred by chance, lot, distribution, inheritance, or otherwise; as, the estate fell to his brother; the kingdom fell into the hands of his rivals.

Kindred; stock; race. He is our brother and our flesh. Gen. xxxvii. 27.

arrow. Bp. Warburton. [Congress] fletched their complaint, by adding: "America loved his brother." Bancroft.

of a fever. Whither the forerunner in for us entered, even Jesus. Heb. vi. 20. My elder brothers, my forerunners, came. Dryden.

ding, receiving, or sharing nourishment or nurture; -- applied to father, mother, child, brother, etc., to indicate that the person so called stands in the relation of parent, child, brother, etc., as regards sustenance and nurture, but not by tie of blood. Foster babe, or child, an infant of child nursed by a woman no…

Brother; -- a title of a monk of friar; as, Fra Angelo. Longfellow.

f government. She that hath a heart of that fine frame To pay this debt of love but to a brother. Shak. Put your discourse into some frame. Shak.

Belonging to the Order of St. Francis of the Franciscans. Franciscan Brothers, pious laymen who devote themselves to useful works, such as manual labor schools, and other educational institutions; -- called also Brothers of the Third Order of St. Francis. -- Franciscan Nuns, nuns who follow the rule of t. Francis, esp…

Pf, pertaining to, or involving, brethren; becoming to brothers; brotherly; as, fraternal affection; a fraternal embrace. -- Fra*ter"nal*ly, adv. An abhorred, a cursed, a fraternal war. Milton. Fraternal love and friendship. Addison.

The state or quality of being fraternal or brotherly; brotherhood.

The act of fraternizing or uniting as brothers. I hope that no French fraternization . . . could so change the hearts of Englishmen. Burke.

To associate or hold fellowship as brothers, or as men of like occupation or character; to have brotherly feelings.

A sharing among brothers, or brothers' kin. [Obs.] Crabb.

The act of one who murders or kills his own brother.