bridesmaid
/ˈbɹaɪdzˌmeɪd/ noun, verb
Forms bridesmaids bridesmaiding bridesmaided bridemaid bride's maid
- noun A woman who attends a bride during her wedding ceremony, as part of the main wedding party. “I'd love to be your bridesmaid at the wedding.”
- noun (sports, entertainment, social dynamics) A person or team that perennially finishes well, but never first.
- verb To act as a bridesmaid for; to attend a bride during her wedding ceremony.
Synonyms
Etymology
From bride + -s- + maid. In the sports and entertainment sense: in reference to the saying always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bridesmaid”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details