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paranymph (PAR-uh-nimf) - n., (rare) a best man, groomsman, or bridesmaid.
A gender-neutral term for a member of the wedding party. Originally, in ancient Greece, often specifically the friend who accompanied the groom to the bride's house or the bridesmaid who accompanied the bride out of the house to the groom. An even rarer, and entirely obsolete meaning, is someone who acts as a spokesman for a bride or groom, as Cyrano de Bergerac (to Roxanne) or John Alden (to Priscilla). In some countries, such as the Netherlands, one or two paranymphs will be present at the defense of a doctoral thesesis, ostensibly as backup but in practice entirely symbolic (in a marriage to the university sort of symbolism, yes). In Greek, the word literally means "beside the bride," so probably was originally the bridesmaid.
---L.
A gender-neutral term for a member of the wedding party. Originally, in ancient Greece, often specifically the friend who accompanied the groom to the bride's house or the bridesmaid who accompanied the bride out of the house to the groom. An even rarer, and entirely obsolete meaning, is someone who acts as a spokesman for a bride or groom, as Cyrano de Bergerac (to Roxanne) or John Alden (to Priscilla). In some countries, such as the Netherlands, one or two paranymphs will be present at the defense of a doctoral thesesis, ostensibly as backup but in practice entirely symbolic (in a marriage to the university sort of symbolism, yes). In Greek, the word literally means "beside the bride," so probably was originally the bridesmaid.
---L.
