Brotherless

/ˈbrʌðərləs/ adjective

Definition

Without a brother or brothers; having no male siblings.

Etymology

From 'brother' plus the suffix '-less', meaning 'without' or 'lacking.' The '-less' suffix is one of English's most transparent and productive, allowing speakers to negate almost any noun.

Kelly Says

The '-less' suffix is so productive that English speakers instantly understand 'brotherless,' 'wireless,' 'careless'—we can create hundreds of new adjectives and everyone understands them immediately, which is why English is easy to expand.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.