Everybody wants to make friends, right? There's nothing wrong with that, nor is the goal to being like-minded people together disadmirable. What concerns me most about the proposed meetup I am about to describe to you is how it coins one very troubling word: "Broette."

Here's the apparent deal: A man who says he's Google Analytical Lead Brian Moore (here's the LinkedIn information he provides in his public Meetup profile) is seeking to "start an exclusive social club" in San Francisco by way of a "SF Tech Bro & Broette Meetup."

In the nascent club's entry on Meetup.com, Moore allegedly writes:

The title of the group is self qualifying. :) if you’re reading this you likely qualify.

The SF Tech Bro club will be free till we hit a critical mass of members. Like we mentioned above, our plan is to turn this group into an an exclusive social club in SF.

Long term, we’re hoping this group can change the "Tech Bro" perception in SF.

The group, which was created on July 10, presently boasts seven bro and broette members.

While it's unclear how "an exclusive social club" could do anything to "change the 'Tech Bro' perception in SF," I'm far more nonplussed by the word "Broette."

Here's why: the suffixes "et" (that's the masculine) and "ette" (the feminine) are known as "diminutive suffixes", that is, a suffix appended to the end of a noun to connote that something is smaller, or less. For example, a teeny-tiny water "drop" becomes a "droplet," or a kitchen that isn't a full one becomes a "kitchenette."

So, if we assume that "Bro" as Moore is allegedly using it is short for the masculine sibling term "Brother," why not employ the commonly used "Sis" if he intends to include women in his "exclusive social club"? That word, if you were somehow unaware, is short for "Sister," which is what we call female siblings.

Is the person claiming to be Moore an only child, unaware of sisterhood? Or is his use of a diminutive to refer to women in tech intentional? (If the latter, that would certainly fail to "change the 'Tech Bro' perception in SF," wouldn't it? ) Or, and this is also a possibility, is the real Brian Moore completely uninvolved with this dubious endeavor, and this is all an effort to, I dunno, besmirch his good name?

Unfortunately, an email sent to Moore via the "SF Tech Bro & Broette Meetup" page had yet to be returned Friday afternoon, so I can't answer any of those questions for you. But I will say this: If you think that "Broette" is truly an acceptable term to use for woman, perhaps your "exclusive social club" should be in a treehouse with a "no girls allowed" sign on the door.