Forums / Discussion / Meme Research

So amandab asked if anyone in the IRC if we could research the word "Bro." We had an entry on "Swag" a few months back, so this seems like the best logical step. I'm starting this thread so we can crowdsource stuff before making an entry.

As far as I can tell, the term seems to be directly derived from "brother," and the earliest Urban Dictionary entry I can find is from 2003. It seems to be an invention of the last decade, and it's come into extensive use during the 2000s. We have a few entries with the term, Come at me bro, Cool Story Bro, and a few others.

duh of course i should have started a thread

Yo Bro! 1991 video game
Nov 1998 episode of the Jamie Foxx Show
January 1999 episode of the Jamie Foxx show
Nov 2000 LA Times
also
www.broyourmeme.com

The hardest part about documenting language is that most language is spoken long before it ever gets written down. Even with UD, people have to hear it and understand it before they can document it.

Perhaps add a part about popular terms that contain "bro".

• Brofist
• Brohoof (probably best to combine with brofist)
• Bromance
• etc.

As for the origin, Online Etymology Dictionary says the following:

Colloquial abbreviation of brother, attested from 1660s.

Whereas their definition on "brother" reads the following:

As a familiar term of address from one man to another, it is attested from 1912 in U.S. slang; the specific use among blacks is recorded from 1973.

Yeah abbreviating Bro for brother is mad old. We were definitely saying it as kids in the early 80's.

I agree with Random Man, that its the derivations of Bro that are the meme, and not the use of Bro itself.

Best I can tell the Bro-(insert clever play on words here) is derived from the How I met Your Mother show – though I guess its most likely they picked up on a meme themselves.

FYI- English version of Bro is Bruv, and dudes do the same thing with it. Popular nickname plays off the cockney address of Guv'nah (governor) = Bruvnah

- Broseph Pallington

Case in point – Brosef Stalin:

I support this concept for an entry.

There is no entry for BRO?
DAFUQ?

Amanda had launched a stub for the bro entry. I went over it and added quite some information.

Done for now, will continue tomorrow.

Dat Link Bro

The entry is looking pretty good. I did some editing to include the derogatory meaning and #MyLifeIsBro. I looked for a origin too, but it was brotally impossible.