bridegroom

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /ˈbraɪdɡrum/ UK /ˈbraɪdɡruːm/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a man on or just before his wedding day

The bridegroom waited nervously at the altar for his bride.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a man on or just before his... groomnewlywedhusband spouse

Opposites

bride

Word family

Related forms bride bridal bridechamber

Etymology

From Old English brȳdguma ('bride-man'), from brȳd ('bride') + guma ('man'). The second element was altered by folk etymology to groom ('lad, attendant') in the 16th century.

brȳd Old English guma Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

External links

# bridegroom

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈbraɪdɡrum/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbraɪdɡruːm/

## Meanings
1. a man on or just before his wedding day

## Examples
- The bridegroom waited nervously at the altar for his bride.

## Synonyms
- groom
- newlywed
- husband
- spouse

## Antonyms
- bride

## Related Forms
- bride
- bridal
- bridechamber

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: brȳd
- Root: guma

## Etymology
From Old English brȳdguma ('bride-man'), from brȳd ('bride') + guma ('man'). The second element was altered by folk etymology to groom ('lad, attendant') in the 16th century.

## AI Etymology
Bridegroom comes from Old English brȳdguma ('bride-man'), from brȳd ('bride') + guma ('man'). The second element was altered by folk etymology to groom ('lad, attendant') in the 16th century. The historical trail runs through brȳd in Old English and guma in Old English. Morphologically, bridegroom is transparent: it draws on Old English brȳdguma ('bride-man'), from brȳd ('bride') + guma ('man'). Used as a noun, bridegroom now means "a man on or just before his wedding day", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as bride, bridal, and bridechamber. The modern word remains analyzable through its parts, which makes the semantic connection unusually direct.

## Topics
- People & Society

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