groomsman

English

Etymology

From groom +‎ -s- +‎ man.

Pronunciation

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Noun

groomsman (plural groomsmen)

1. A man who serves as one of a number of attendants to a bridegroom at a wedding, one of whom is the best man.
   • 1866, Thomas Hardy, chapter 13, in The Mayor of Casterbridge:

     The Scotchman, who assisted as groomsman, was of course the only one present, beyond the chief actors, who knew the true situation of the contracting parties.

   • 1888, Horatio Alger, The Errand Boy, Chapter XIV: Consulting the Oracle,

     "Philip," said Mr. Wilbur, "when I marry, I want you to stand up with me--to be my groomsman."

   • 1894, Dabney Herndon Maury, Recollections of a Virginian in the Mexican, Indian, and Civil Wars, section 6:

     There were eight bridesmaids and groomsmen, and I asked McClellan and Franklin to be of the number, but distant service prevented them from coming, and Burnside and Reno, of the Ordnance, took their places.

Coordinate terms

• groomsmaid, groomswoman
• bridesmaid
• bridesman, brosmaid

Translations

attendant to a bridegroom

• Afrikaans: strooijonker
• Bulgarian: шафер m (šafer)
• Erzya: уредев (uŕeďev)
• Esperanto: fianĉamiko
• Finnish: sulhaspoika
• Hungarian: vőfély (hu)
• Irish: vaidhtéaraí m, finné fir m, fear tionlacain m, fear tionlacain bainise m, vaidhtéir m
• Italian: paraninfo (it) m
• Korean: 들러리 (deulleori)
• Macedonian: по́братим m (póbratim)
• Manx: fer banshey m
• Polish: drużba (pl) m
• Russian: ша́фер (ru) m (šáfer)
• Scottish Gaelic: fear-cuideachd m
• Spanish: padrino (es) m
• Vietnamese: phù rể (vi)

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