Both fraternize and fraternal (meaning "of, relating to, or involving brothers") come to us, by way of Medieval Latin, from Latin frater, meaning "brother." Other frater descendants in English include friar, fraternity, and confraternity ("a society devoted especially to a religious or charitable cause"). Even brother itself shares a relationship with frater. These days, although fraternize can still refer to a brotherly association or simple friendliness, it often occurs in contexts, such as "fraternizing with the enemy," implying friendliness toward someone who would be better avoided.
It is usually unwise to fraternize with your employees. don't fraternize just with people of the same race, religion, or social background
Recent Examples on the WebAnd don’t fraternize at your desk; go to a break room. Yec, Forbes, 18 Aug. 2022 Whether made ironically or in harmless fun, the #prettyfriendgroup and #baddiefriend hashtags have many videos from fun, fashionable and, objectively attractive folk who fraternize with people who fulfill a similar brief. L'oréal Blackett, refinery29.com, 4 May 2022 That’s a pretty damning critique, which must be in some way inspired by Strickland’s own experience with such institutions, where wealthy patrons get to fraternize with the artists. Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 Feb. 2022 Known to fraternize with people at the edge of the water, Old Ben often begged for food and was said to be recognizable by the white spot and bump on his head.oregonlive, 29 Nov. 2021 At high densities of states, electrons can more easily fraternize among themselves.Quanta Magazine, 14 June 2021 Its members came together to celebrate canoeing, but also to fraternize at oyster roasts, dances and musicales.Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2020 Players may not socialize or fraternize with opponents before, during or after games. Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 25 June 2020 The directive ordered Taliban fighters not to fight but also not to fraternize with Afghan national security forces. Kathy Gannon, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 May 2020 See More