bridesman
bridesman Lexical Profile
bridesman Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A male friend or relative who attends the bride at a wedding, serving in a role equivalent to that of a bridesmaid.
"She asked her lifelong best friend to stand beside her at the altar as a bridesman."
A male friend or relative who attends the bridegroom at a wedding (dated or historical).
"In nineteenth-century rural weddings, the chief bridesman often escorted the bride's party to the church."
Word Nuance & Usage
In older 17th- to 19th-century usage, 'bridesman' served as a synonym for 'groomsman' (a male attendant to the groom), whereas in contemporary usage it specifically denotes a male attendant standing on the bride's side of the wedding party.
• Rhymes for bridesman
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the 17th century from the possessive of 'bride' plus 'man', originally denoting a male attendant at a wedding and later reanalyzed by analogy with 'bridesmaid'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.