pal is a really interesting word. It is recorded from 1770 and derives from a Romany word phal, "brother, comrade", from Sanskrit bhratr, sharing the same PIE root *bhrater- as English brother, Latin frater, and Ancient Greek phrater, "fellow clansman". There are cognates right across the IE family of languages.
A Brotherly Etymology
pal is a really interesting word. It is recorded from 1770 and derives from a Romany word phal, "brother, comrade", from Sanskrit bhratr, sharing the same PIE root *bhrater- as English brother, Latin frater, and Ancient Greek phrater, "fellow clansman". There are cognates right across the IE family of languages.