The terms "fraternity" and "sorority" (from the Latin words frater and soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively) may be used to describe any number of social and charitable organizations, for example the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, Rotary International, or the Shriners. In the United States and Canada, however, fraternities and sororities are most commonly known as social organizations for higher education students.

Fraternities are all-male or mixed-sex; the female-only equivalent is called a sorority, a word first used in 1874. Though the word sorority was coined for Gamma Phi Beta, Alpha Delta Pi was actually the first organization to fit the sorority model, as a secret sisterhood founded in 1851 at Wesleyan College. Consequently, there exist some all-female "fraternities" that were named before the newer term was created; examples include Kappa Alpha Theta and Kappa Kappa Gamma, both founded in 1870, and Alpha Phi, founded in 1872. Fraternities and sororities, especially outside North America, are also referred to as student corporations, academic corporations, or simply corporations.

With few exceptions (notably " The Artists' Circle", "Acacia", "Pan Sophic", "FarmHouse", and "Triangle"), the names of North American fraternities and sororities consist of two or three Greek letters. For this reason, fraternities and sororities are known collectively as the Greek System and its members as Greeks. The use of Greek letters started with the first such organization, Phi Beta Kappa, which used Greek letters to hide their secret name.

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Working on a feature story about Canadian fraternities and sororities at #UofC. Any frat members who want to talk, message me! cdnPSE #abPSE
danpagan (Dan Pagan) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:14:29 -0000
Working on a feature story about Canadian fraternities and sororities at #UofC. Any frat members who want to talk, message me! cdnPSE #abPSE
@misskristelle misskristelle #abqtalk Wow, a Mason? Masonic Rituals & traditions are the basis for Greek Fraternities and Sororities!
nigelblayde (Rich B) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:11:15 -0000
@misskristelle misskristelle #abqtalk Wow, a Mason? Masonic Rituals & traditions are the basis for Greek Fraternities and Sororities! <Yes!
@nigelblayde #abqtalk Wow, a Mason? Masonic Rituals and traditions are the basis for Greek Fraternities and Sororities!
misskristelle (Kristelle Siarza) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:04:12 -0000
@nigelblayde #abqtalk Wow, a Mason? Masonic Rituals and traditions are the basis for Greek Fraternities and Sororities!
Williams and Williams now has the license to make all Greek items for all fraternities and sororities @ FSC except Theta Chi
jeffbeals (Jeff Beals) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:58:32 -0000
Williams and Williams now has the license to make all Greek items for all fraternities and sororities @ FSC except Theta Chi
Tennessee/Georgia, MI-State vs Indiana, Texas A&M v Oklahoma, and The Fraternities and Sororities at Mississippi State!
helmutthouse (Helmutt House) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:03:58 -0000
Tennessee/Georgia, MI-State vs Indiana, Texas A&M v Oklahoma, and The Fraternities and Sororities at Mississippi State!
@_Larissa_ LOL! Beer, or vodka and you may also add about 9 shots *hick* Ah we don't have sororities/fraternities here, but we used to >>
Alexandros_ (Elpida Pappa) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:09:42 -0000
@_Larissa_ LOL! Beer, or vodka and you may also add about 9 shots *hick* Ah we don't have sororities/fraternities here, but we used to >>

 

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