Fraternize

/frəˈtɜːrnaɪz/ verb

Definition

To associate or interact with others in a friendly manner, especially across group, social, or national boundaries.

Etymology

From 'fraternal' (Latin 'fraternus,' from 'frater' meaning brother) with the verbal suffix '-ize.' The term entered English military vocabulary prominently in the 19th-20th centuries.

Kelly Says

The word 'fraternize' became a whole military crime—soldiers were literally court-martialed for fraternizing with enemy troops, because generals understood that friendship and shared humanity could destroy the psychological distance needed to fight each other.

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