bredren

Friend, brother, or member of one's inner circle. From Jamaican Patois, where "bredren" (and the variant "bredrin") generalises the English word "brethren" into everyday speech, carrying a strong Rastafarian inflection: among Rastas it specifically signals a fellow believer or member of the community, equivalent to "brother in faith". In wider Caribbean and UK diaspora use it has loosened into a warm term for any close male friend — roughly equivalent to "bro", "mate" or "fam" in other Englishes. The female counterpart is "sistren". Common in dancehall lyrics, UK road rap and everyday speech across Jamaica, Trinidad, the wider Caribbean and second-generation Caribbean communities in London, Birmingham and Toronto.