French word meaning 'brothers,' used in English in phrases like 'Freres Jacques' or as a designation in formal naming contexts.
From Old French frere, from Latin frater (brother). The word entered English primarily through French borrowings and proper nouns rather than as a naturalized English word.
English borrowed 'freres' mainly to preserve French cultural references, most famously in 'Les Trois Frères' and the children's song 'Frère Jacques'—it never really became English because we already had a perfectly good word.
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