THE FIRST WORD

confrere

PRONUNCIATION:

(KON-frayr) 

MEANING:

noun: Colleague; a fellow member of a profession, fraternity, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin con- (with) + frater (brother). Other cousins of this word, derived from the same Indo-European root bhrater- (brother), are brother, pal, fraternal, and bully. Earliest documented use: 1425.

USAGE:

"Dr. Madan Kataria developed a catalog of comical expressions and sounds that he and his confreres used to stimulate and simulate laughter."
Eric Trump; Got the Giggles? Join the Club; The New York Times; Jul 27, 2002.