Is there a gender-inclusive replacement for the word "fraternity"?
July 11, 2013 9:23 PM Subscribe
I flashed the biker wave on my ride home tonight, and as I was thinking some warm fuzzy thoughts about the "motorcycling fraternity", I noticed that the other rider was a woman. Is there a word which represents this concept in a gender-inclusive way? If "fraternity" has to do with brothers and "sorority" has to do with sisters, what word has to do with "siblings"?
I suppose that something like "society" could serve, but I am really trying to find something which has the connotation of a family bond. I don't have any real day-to-day use for this word, beyond generally trying to strip needless gender-limitation from my speech and thinking, so I am happy to hear suggestions which are obsolete or obscure. If there is no such word in common existence, I would be happy to hear how you might synthesize one from appropriate Latin or Greek roots.
For bonus points, is there a word which has similar family connotations, but having to do with cousins rather than siblings? I passed a bicyclist half a mile later and reflected that motorcyclists often have a sort of "hey we're all on two wheels, man" feeling about bicyclists: they're not really doing what we do, but they're more like us than the cagers are. If one were to speak of the great nebulous family of two-wheelers, what would be the term one would use to describe their family relationship? In the way that "avuncular" has to do with being an uncle, what do you say to describe the relationship of all being notional cousins?
I suppose that something like "society" could serve, but I am really trying to find something which has the connotation of a family bond. I don't have any real day-to-day use for this word, beyond generally trying to strip needless gender-limitation from my speech and thinking, so I am happy to hear suggestions which are obsolete or obscure. If there is no such word in common existence, I would be happy to hear how you might synthesize one from appropriate Latin or Greek roots.
For bonus points, is there a word which has similar family connotations, but having to do with cousins rather than siblings? I passed a bicyclist half a mile later and reflected that motorcyclists often have a sort of "hey we're all on two wheels, man" feeling about bicyclists: they're not really doing what we do, but they're more like us than the cagers are. If one were to speak of the great nebulous family of two-wheelers, what would be the term one would use to describe their family relationship? In the way that "avuncular" has to do with being an uncle, what do you say to describe the relationship of all being notional cousins?
Have you excluded "family"?
posted by amtho at 9:29 PM on July 11, 2013 [8 favorites]
posted by amtho at 9:29 PM on July 11, 2013 [8 favorites]
the order of two wheels
posted by bottlebrushtree at 9:30 PM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by bottlebrushtree at 9:30 PM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Community?
posted by HuronBob at 9:30 PM on July 11, 2013 [8 favorites]
posted by HuronBob at 9:30 PM on July 11, 2013 [8 favorites]
I would use "family" or "community."
posted by jaguar at 9:32 PM on July 11, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by jaguar at 9:32 PM on July 11, 2013 [3 favorites]
I really want to say "Rivalry", but apart from family, I don't think there is a non gender specific one. "Sibilance" could be pressed into service as one if you're OK with just adding meanings to other words.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 9:35 PM on July 11, 2013
posted by Jon Mitchell at 9:35 PM on July 11, 2013
For your second question, "kin" would probably be the answer.
posted by restless_nomad at 9:35 PM on July 11, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad at 9:35 PM on July 11, 2013 [2 favorites]
Kin, kindred, clan perhaps? I did a google search for "sibling synonyms" and came up with some stuff.
posted by HermitDog at 9:36 PM on July 11, 2013
posted by HermitDog at 9:36 PM on July 11, 2013
Clan perhaps?
The word sodality might fit--it's gender-neutral, but it does not have the familial connotation.
posted by drlith at 9:38 PM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
The word sodality might fit--it's gender-neutral, but it does not have the familial connotation.
posted by drlith at 9:38 PM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I don't think of fraternity as necessarily being male. Even some of the female-only Greek letter organizations thought of as sororities refer to themselves as fraternities.
That said, in genetics we use the term sibship to refer to a group of siblings.
posted by grouse at 10:03 PM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
That said, in genetics we use the term sibship to refer to a group of siblings.
posted by grouse at 10:03 PM on July 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Kith, as in "kith and kin", might also be worth considering although it's a pretty dusty usage.
Fellowship, maybe -- its not quite a family but it suggests familiarity and encompasses that kind of warmth and mutual support. Although I suppose "fellow" hasn't entirely shed its male identification either.
posted by snuffleupagus at 10:16 PM on July 11, 2013
Fellowship, maybe -- its not quite a family but it suggests familiarity and encompasses that kind of warmth and mutual support. Although I suppose "fellow" hasn't entirely shed its male identification either.
posted by snuffleupagus at 10:16 PM on July 11, 2013
Came in to say sibship! Used in psychology and, apparently, genetics.
posted by Pomo at 10:20 PM on July 11, 2013
posted by Pomo at 10:20 PM on July 11, 2013
Family, community, tribe, clan or "my people" work well.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:45 PM on July 11, 2013
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:45 PM on July 11, 2013
"Fraternity" is gender-inclusive, and simply means a group of people associated for a common purpose. As grouse noted, some all-women groups on college campuses call themselved fraternities, as do mixed-gender groups.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:54 AM on July 12, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:54 AM on July 12, 2013 [5 favorites]
League of Extraordinary People!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:00 AM on July 12, 2013
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:00 AM on July 12, 2013
Comrades.
posted by dekathelon at 5:34 AM on July 12, 2013
posted by dekathelon at 5:34 AM on July 12, 2013
Fellowship.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:52 AM on July 12, 2013
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:52 AM on July 12, 2013
Community, from the Latin meaning "common". As a biker, I would think of the link not so much as a family unless you are talking more specifically about HOGs or specific clubs. Many club members would probably take offense as you considering yourself part of their family. Harley owners too feel less kinship with Goldwing riders than with their own. Community, yes - family, no.
posted by JJ86 at 5:53 AM on July 12, 2013
posted by JJ86 at 5:53 AM on July 12, 2013
I was in a co-ed Greek-letter organization in college, and we didn't like calling ourselves a "co-ed fraternity" because...well, fraternities on our campus were all-male, and as organizations they were kind of assholes (though of course many of their individual members were perfectly nice guys, especially when they were not with other guys from their frat). And it was the 80s.
We renamed ourselves a panarchy - a universal realm.
posted by rtha at 6:07 AM on July 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
We renamed ourselves a panarchy - a universal realm.
posted by rtha at 6:07 AM on July 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Fraternity is a male-as-default-gender "gender neutral" word i.e. not actually gender neutral, despite its use that way. From OED: "late Middle English: from medieval Latin fraternalis, from Latin fraternus, from frater 'brother'"
I like "community", generally.
posted by urbanlenny at 8:18 AM on July 12, 2013
I like "community", generally.
posted by urbanlenny at 8:18 AM on July 12, 2013
Response by poster: I understand the historical context in which "fraternity" and other masculine words were read as inclusive, but in modern usage it can take a lot of context knowledge to understand whether those terms are meant in an exclusive or inclusive sense. I would rather make life easier on the people listening to me by choosing words which are obviously inclusive.
So far "community" seems to land closest. "Kin" and "tribe" are nice too. ("The two-wheeling tribe" alliterates nicely...) I'll probably never use "sibship" or "sodality" but I'm tickled by their existence. "Fellowship" is a good suggestion but my upbringing gives it too much of a religious flavor.
Thank you for helping me figure this out.
posted by Mars Saxman at 9:32 AM on July 12, 2013
So far "community" seems to land closest. "Kin" and "tribe" are nice too. ("The two-wheeling tribe" alliterates nicely...) I'll probably never use "sibship" or "sodality" but I'm tickled by their existence. "Fellowship" is a good suggestion but my upbringing gives it too much of a religious flavor.
Thank you for helping me figure this out.
posted by Mars Saxman at 9:32 AM on July 12, 2013
For bonus points, is there a word which has similar family connotations, but having to do with cousins rather than siblings?
"Cousin" used to refer to any family member, not just the "child of my uncle/aunt" etc. You'll find it in Shakespeare quite a bit.
Plus "My Cycling Cousins" or "Our Motorcycling Cousins" sounds kind of nice.
posted by Celsius1414 at 11:17 AM on July 12, 2013
"Cousin" used to refer to any family member, not just the "child of my uncle/aunt" etc. You'll find it in Shakespeare quite a bit.
Plus "My Cycling Cousins" or "Our Motorcycling Cousins" sounds kind of nice.
posted by Celsius1414 at 11:17 AM on July 12, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by deludingmyself at 9:27 PM on July 11, 2013