Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

brotus

/ˈbɹoʊ.təs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
bro-tus
IPA
/ˈbɹoʊ.təs/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Something added at no extra charge, such as the thirteenth item in a baker's dozen.

Etymology

Mitford Mathews suggested in 1951 that the term derived from brot (“scrap(s), small amount(s)”), a northern England dialectal term ultimately derived from Old English brēotan, but Frederic Cassidy notes that this has "no connection to the marketing context" and Joey Lee Dillard finds the idea "unconvincing". Cassidy mentions that the term might be related to Jamaican Creole braata (“little extra given by a seller to a buyer”), though he considers this "questionable" because "the stressed vowel is rather different … and the final -us of the American form would have to be accounted for"; the Jamaican term might derive from a Spanish cognate of Portuguese barato (“favour”). An African origin has also been suggested, but not substantiated; The African Heritage of American English for example suggests derivation from an African word mbata meaning "something given on credit, without payment", but Kongo mbata in fact means "perquisite, commission, brokerage".

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈbɹoʊ.təs/
  • British English: /ˈbɹəʊ.təs/

Inflected Forms

brotuses (plural) broadus (alternative) brawtus (alternative)

Synonyms

lagniappe bonus

Rhymes With

lotus potus scotus flotus vpotus

Questions

How do you pronounce brotus?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɹoʊ.təs/.
What does brotus mean?
Something added at no extra charge, such as the thirteenth item in a baker's dozen.
Where does brotus come from?
Mitford Mathews suggested in 1951 that the term derived from brot (“scrap(s), small amount(s)”), a northern England dialectal term ultimately derived from Old English brēotan, but Frederic Cassidy notes that this has "no connection to the marketing context" and Joey Lee Dillard finds the idea "unconvincing". Cassidy mentions that the term might be related to Jamaican Creole braata (“little extra given by a seller to a buyer”), though he considers this "questionable" because "the stressed vowel is rather different … and the final -us of the American form would have to be accounted for"; the Jamaican term might derive from a Spanish cognate of Portuguese barato (“favour”). An African origin has also been suggested, but not substantiated; The African Heritage of American English for example suggests derivation from an African word mbata meaning "something given on credit, without payment", but Kongo mbata in fact means "perquisite, commission, brokerage".

How to pronounce brotus

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “brotus”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɹoʊ.təs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “brotus”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “brotus” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.