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paranymph

[ par-uh-nimf ]
/ ˈpær əˌnɪmf /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR paranymph ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a groomsman or a bridesmaid.
(in ancient Greece)
  1. a friend who accompanied the bridegroom when he went to bring home the bride.
  2. the bridesmaid who escorted the bride to the bridegroom.

Words related to paranymph

groomsman

Words nearby paranymph

paranthropus boisei , paranthropus robustus, paranuclear, paranucleate, paranucleus, paranymph, paraná, paraná pine, paraoperative, parapara, paraparesis

Origin of paranymph

1585–95; < Late Latin paranymphus < Greek paránymphos (masculine and feminine) groomsman, bridesmaid, literally, person beside the bride. See para-1, nymph
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for paranymph

British Dictionary definitions for paranymph

paranymph
/ (ˈpærəˌnɪmf) /

noun

archaic a bridesmaid or best man

Word Origin for paranymph

C16: via Late Latin from Greek paranumphos, from para- 1 + numphē bride (literally: person beside the bride)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012