# What does "Broheem" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 30, 2005, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587 "2005-10-30T11:39:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/1 "2005-10-30T11:39:13Z")
In A History of Violence, Richie keeps calling Joey “broheem.” The two men are brothers so I assume it is some kind of word for brother, like “bro” or whatever. But I’ve never, ever heard it before, or even heard about people saying it, for that matter. Is this some kind of slang word invented for the movie, or do people actually use it? ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/2 "2005-10-30T13:42:47Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > In A History of Violence, Richie keeps calling Joey “broheem.” The two men are brothers so I assume it is some kind of word for brother, like “bro” or whatever. But I’ve never, ever heard it before, or even heard about people saying it, for that matter. Is this some kind of slang word invented for the movie, or do people actually use it? never heard of “broheem”, although my brother and I actually did invent a slang term to refer to each other, ‘brudamin.’ I’ll leave it to you smart dopers to work out what phrase it was more or less a phonetic variant of. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/3 "2005-10-30T14:02:20Z")
A quick googling suggests it’s music/sports/hip hop talk, earliest hit dating to 2000. [urbandictionary.com](http://urbandictionary.com) has no definition, so it’s probably been a pretty low-flying term. It’s also the name of a pro wrestler, a saxophonist, and an anglicized pronunciation of Ibrahim (Abraham). ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/4 "2005-10-30T17:03:29Z")
It’s [broheim](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=broheim). ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/5 "2005-10-30T20:41:08Z")
Naw. _Broheim_ would rhyme with crime or slime. Somebody doesn’t know from orthography (and don’t try looking _that_ up at [urbandictionary.com](http://urbandictionary.com)). ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/6 "2005-10-30T20:47:17Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > Naw. _Broheim_ would rhyme with crime or slime. Somebody doesn’t know from orthography (and don’t try looking _that_ up at [urbandictionary.com](http://urbandictionary.com)). Unless people (mis)pronounced it _bro-heem_. Which they do. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/7 "2005-10-31T01:32:19Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Unless people (mis)pronounced it _bro-heem_. Which they do. Except that the pronunciation undoubtedly came first; the orthography most likely came after. I also disagree with the “eim” spelling. I always assumed that it would be spelled “brojim” or “brohim”–that it was “bro” with a Latin or Arabic/Muslim inflection. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/8 "2005-10-31T01:35:12Z")
You know, like “Rahim.” ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/9 "2005-10-31T03:36:31Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Except that the pronunciation undoubtedly came first; the orthography most likely came after. I also disagree with the “eim” spelling. > > I always assumed that it would be spelled “brojim” or “brohim”–that it was “bro” with a Latin or Arabic/Muslim inflection. Not necessarily considering the inspiration for the question. It’s entirely possible that no one connected with the production thought, “Hey, maybe we better figure out exactly how this word’s pronounced.” Supposedly, the pronounciation of medical terms on _M_A_S_H\*\* gives anyone with a medical background fits. Certainly, I’ve seen large budget films where actors mispronounce words that their characters should have known how to say perfectly. And they supposedly didn’t bother to coach Reagan when he was President before one of his speeches and he misspronounced “paradigm” on national TV. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/10 "2005-10-31T03:47:08Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Reagan . . . misspronounced “paradigm” on national TV. How did he say it? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/11 "2005-10-31T03:52:08Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > How did he say it? Supposedly, (I can’t remember where I read this, other than it was a fairly slanted source, so it might be wholly inaccurate) he said it “paradeegym.” ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/12 "2005-10-31T04:55:22Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Not necessarily considering the inspiration for the question. It’s entirely possible that no one connected with the production thought, “Hey, maybe we better figure out exactly how this word’s pronounced.” Supposedly, the pronounciation of medical terms on _M_A_S_H\*\* gives anyone with a medical background fits. Certainly, I’ve seen large budget films where actors mispronounce words that their characters should have known how to say perfectly. And they supposedly didn’t bother to coach Reagan when he was President before one of his speeches and he misspronounced “paradigm” on national TV. What production? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/13 "2005-10-31T05:01:47Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > What production? Did you miss the part of the OP where it says, “In A History of Violence,” which is a movie currently playing in theaters, and the OP is wondering about the word used in the film? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/14 "2005-10-31T05:04:55Z")
Dude, I’ve heard the word IRL, plenty of times. The word was a familiar word to me when I saw _THoV_, and I had already developed a theory as to its origin and spelling, although it never interested me enough to research it. My assumptions in that regard have nothing to do with the context of the film, in other words. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/15 "2005-10-31T05:10:42Z")
Google says: **brohim:** 648 hits **broheem:** 857 hits **broheim:** 1,580 hits **brojim:** 27,800 hits (No context noted.) ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/16 "2005-10-31T05:31:14Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Google says: > > **brohim:** 648 hits > **broheem:** 857 hits > **broheim:** 1,580 hits > **brojim:** 27,800 hits > > (No context noted.) Narrow the search on _brojim_ to English sites only and the count drops to 2,140; most of those are either still not in English or are usernames on message boards, in which case it’s mostly as BroJim, which I’d imagine is pronounced “bro Jim” and is unrelated to the word we’re after. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/17 "2005-10-31T05:41:49Z")
Yes, I saw that. I’m bewildered at why “broheim” outnumbers “broheem,” because that’s not the pronunciation. But so be it; dictionaries are frequently wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/18 "2005-10-31T06:15:43Z")
English-speakers pronounce _stein_ as “steen” all the time (especially when it’s part of a name), so it’s not terribly shocking that _broheim_ gets the same treatment. For what it’s worth, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it pronounced both ways; I’ve no idea which came first. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/19 "2005-10-31T09:09:04Z")
> [@Catalyst](#): > > English-speakers pronounce _stein_ as “steen” all the time (especially when it’s part of a name) . . I think mostly they pronounce it “stein.” “Steen” is the exception. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587/20 "2005-10-31T11:00:25Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Dude, I’ve heard the word IRL, plenty of times. The word was a familiar word to me when I saw _THoV_, and I had already developed a theory as to its origin and spelling, although it never interested me enough to research it. My assumptions in that regard have nothing to do with the context of the film, in other words. Just because you’re familar with the word, doesn’t mean anything, unless you’re involved with the production. I’d certainly never heard it before and there’s no way we can say if any of the cast members are familiar with the term unless there’s an interview with them discussing the word or they used it in another film. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-broheem-mean/328587.md?page=2)