rules against fraternization
- noun
- Formal
:
reglas contra la fraternización
- Because of the company's rules against fraternization, supervisors cannot date their subordinates.
Examples
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He was reprimanded for violating rules against fraternization with members of his team.
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Many organizations implement rules against fraternization to prevent conflicts of interest.
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The company has strict rules against fraternization.
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Don't break the rules against fraternization!
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The company has strict rules against fraternization to maintain professionalism among employees.
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She was warned about the rules against fraternization when she began dating a coworker.
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Many organizations implement rules against fraternization to prevent conflicts of interest.
How Strict
- Formal
16
4.9
- Literature
- Formal
19
4.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
rule + against + fraternization
The meaning is directly compositional: 'rules' (regulations) + 'against' (prohibiting) + 'fraternization' (associating) yields policies that prohibit such association. Although 'fraternization' is somewhat formal, its basic sense of 'socializing/associating' makes the prohibition clear and inferable to a learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The phrase rules against fraternization comes from old military practice where officers were told not to be friendly with lower-ranked soldiers. The image is people from different levels not mixing, because fraternization means being friendly. So these rules now mean 'policies that stop personal or romantic relationships' to avoid 'unfair treatment' or 'conflict'.