archconfraternity
|arch-con-fra-ter-ni-ty|
🇺🇸
/ˌɑrtʃkənfrəˈtɝnɪti/
🇬🇧
/ˌɑːtʃkənfrəˈtɜːnɪti/
principal/chief brotherhood
Etymology
'archconfraternity' is formed from the prefix 'arch-' (from Greek 'arkhi-' meaning 'chief' or 'principal') combined with 'confraternity' (from Latin 'confraternitas').
'confraternity' originates from Latin 'confraternitas' (from 'con-' + 'frater' meaning 'brother'), passed into Old French as 'confraternité' and into Middle English before becoming modern English 'confraternity'. The prefix 'arch-' comes via Greek 'arkhi-' into Latin/Old French and then English as a productive prefix meaning 'principal' or 'chief', forming the compound 'archconfraternity' in English.
Initially the elements meant 'chief' + 'brotherhood'; over time the compound came to denote a confraternity specifically vested with superior or official authority (i.e., a confraternity that can affiliate other confraternities) and has retained that specialized ecclesiastical sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a principal confraternity (a religious brotherhood), especially in the Roman Catholic Church, that has been granted authority to affiliate, supervise, or aggregate other confraternities.
The archconfraternity was given the right to affiliate local confraternities throughout the diocese.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/04 23:32