1. [n]  a male with the same parents as someone else; "my brother still lives with our parents"
2. [n]  (Roman Catholic) a title given to a monk and used as form of address; "a Benedictine Brother"
3. [n]  a male person who is a fellow member (of a fraternity or religion of other group); "none of his brothers would betray him"
4. [n]  used as a term of address for those male persons engaged in the same movement; "Greetings, comrade!"
5. [n]  a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities

Brother
Takeshi "Beat" Kitano ("Fireworks" [Hana-Bi], "Sonatine") literally explodes in a blaze of bullets and a flurry of wild action in his first English-language film and gives one of the most electrifying performances of the year. Also starring the incredibly talented Omar Epps ("Love and Basketball") and Masayo Kato ("Godzilla"), "Brother" is one of the coolest, wildest, most intense thrill rides you've ever taken! A yakuza gangster (Kitano) is exiled to Los Angeles after his crime boss is murdered in a Tokyo gang war. Arriving in L.A. with a big bag of money and a really bad attitude, he hooks up with his half-brother, the leader of a small-time drug ring. Together with a local street hustler (Epps). the brothers declare war on the other local drug trafficers and ignite the bloodiest, dirtiest, nastiest power struggle the mean streets of L.A. have ever seen.

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1. \Broth"er\ (br[u^][th]"[~e]r), n.; pl. {Brothers}
   (br[u^][th]"[~e]rz) or {Brethren} (br[e^][th]"r[e^]n). See
   {Brethren}. [OE. brother, AS. br[=o][eth]or; akin to OS.
   brothar, D. broeder, OHG. pruodar, G. bruder, Icel.
   br[=o][eth]ir, Sw. & Dan. broder, Goth. br[=o][thorn]ar, Ir.
   brathair, W. brawd, pl. brodyr, Lith. brolis, Lett. brahlis,
   Russ. brat', Pol. & Serv. brat, OSlav. bratr[u^], L. frater,
   Skr. bhr[=a]t[.r], Zend bratar brother, Gr. fra`thr, fra`twr,
   a clansman. The common plural is {Brothers}; in the solemn
   style, {Brethren}, OE. pl. brether, bretheren, AS. dat. sing.
   br[=e][eth]er, nom. pl. br[=o][eth]or, br[=o][eth]ru.
   [root]258. Cf. {Friar}, {Fraternal}.]
   1. A male person who has the same father and mother with
      another person, or who has one of them only. In the latter
      case he is more definitely called a half brother, or
      brother of the half blood.
            Two of us in the churchyard lie, My sister and my
            brother.                              --Wordsworth.
   2. One related or closely united to another by some common
      tie or interest, as of rank, profession, membership in a
      society, toil, suffering, etc.; -- used among judges,
      clergymen, monks, physicians, lawyers, professors of
      religion, etc. ``A brother of your order.'' --Shak.
            We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, For he
            to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my
            brother.                              --Shak.
   3. One who, or that which, resembles another in distinctive
      qualities or traits of character.
            He also that is slothful in his work is brother to
            him that is a great waster.           --Prov. xviii.
                                                  9.
            That April morn Of this the very brother.
                                                  --Wordsworth.
   Note: In Scripture, the term brother is applied to a kinsman
         by blood more remote than a son of the same parents, as
         in the case of Abraham and Lot, Jacob and Laban. In a
         more general sense, brother or brethren is used for
         fellow-man or fellow-men.
               For of whom such massacre Make they but of their
               brethren, men of men?              --Milton.
   {Brother Jonathan}, a humorous designation for the people of
      the United States collectively. The phrase is said to have
      originated from Washington's referring to the patriotic
      Jonathan Trumbull, governor of Connecticut, as ``Brother
      Jonathan.''
   {Blood brother}. See under {Blood}.
   

2. \Broth"er\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Brothered}.]
   To make a brother of; to call or treat as a brother; to admit
   to a brotherhood. --Sir W. Scott.
   

(1.) In the natural and common sense (Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:1, 19).

(2.) A near relation, a cousin (Gen. 13:8; 14:16; Matt. 12:46; John 7:3; Acts 1:14; Gal. 1:19).

(3.) Simply a fellow-countryman (Matt. 5:47; Acts 3:22; Heb. 7:5).

(4.) A disciple or follower (Matt. 25:40; Heb. 2:11, 12).

(5.) One of the same faith (Amos 1:9; Acts 9:30; 11:29; 1 Cor. 5:11); whence the early disciples of our Lord were known to each other as brethren.

(6.) A colleague in office (Ezra 3:2; 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1).

(7.) A fellow-man (Gen. 9:5; 19:7; Matt. 5:22, 23, 24; 7:5; Heb. 2:17).

(8.) One beloved or closely united with another in affection (2 Sam. 1:26; Acts 6:3; 1 Thess. 5:1). Brethren of Jesus (Matt. 1:25; 12:46, 50: Mark 3:31, 32; Gal. 1:19; 1 Cor. 9:5, etc.) were probably the younger children of Joseph and Mary. Some have supposed that they may have been the children of Joseph by a former marriage, and others that they were the children of Mary, the Virgin's sister, and wife of Cleophas. The first interpretation, however, is the most natural.