Meaning

noun a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities

verb become friends; act friendly towards

originPIE word *bʰréh₂tēr Borrowed from Angloromani pal (“brother, friend”), from Romani phral (“brother”), from Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrātṛ, “brother”). Doublet of bhai, brother, bru, frater, friar, and vai.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0