Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In ancient Greece, a bridesman or bridesmaid; specifically, the particular friend who accompanied the bridegroom when he brought home his bride.
- noun One who gives countenance and support to another.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A friend of the bridegroom who went with him in his chariot to fetch home the bride.
- noun The bridesmaid who conducted the bride to the bridegroom.
- noun An ally; a supporter or abettor.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun historical, Ancient Greece A
friend of thebridegroom who went with him in hischariot to fetch home thebride . - noun historical, Ancient Greece The
bridesmaid whoconducted the bride to the bridegroom. - noun figuratively An
ally ; asupporter orabettor .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Latin paranymphus, Ancient Greek beside, near + a bride: compare French paranymphe.
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Examples
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And the people of the parish, who had come to hear their own minister, (a truly pious and excellent man,) were so surprised and taken with him, as if God, besides his ordinary resident (so Mr. McWard expresses it) had sent them an extraordinary ambassador to negotiate a peace between God and them, and a prompt paranymph unto, and a skilful suitor of a spouse for Jesus Christ the blessed Bridegroom, that he might present them as a chaste virgin to this divine Husband.
The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Hugh Binning 1640
jodi commented on the word paranymph
see also Wikipedia
January 29, 2012
bilby commented on the word paranymph
I have neither chariot nor paranymph. No wonder I'm single!
June 15, 2016