bridegroom
/ˈbɹaɪdˌɡɹuːm/ noun
Forms bridegrooms bridegoom
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English brydgrome, bridegome, from Old English brȳdguma, from Proto-Germanic *brūdigumô; equivalent to Old English brȳd (“bride”) + guma (“man”). Altered by folk etymology to end with groom, with it re-analyzed as or influenced by grom, grome (“attendant”), as guma was obsolete. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Brüüdicham, Dutch bruidegom, Afrikaans bruidegom, German Low German Brödigam, Brüdigam, Brögam, Brügam, Plautdietsch Briegaum, German Bräutigam, Norwegian Bokmål brudgom, Norwegian Nynorsk brudgom, Danish brudgom, Swedish brudgum, Icelandic brúðgumi, Faroese brúðgómur.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [OE. bridegome, brudgume, AS. br (akin to OS. br, D. bruidegom, bruigom, OHG. pr, MHG. briutegome, G. bräutigam); AS. br bride + guma man, akin to Goth. guma, Icel. gumi, OHG. gomo, L. homo; the insertion of r being caused by confusion with groom. See Bride, and cf. Groom, Homage.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bridegroom”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details