bridegroom
n. countablen. the man who is about to get married or who has just married. It is a slightly more formal or traditional word for a groom.
n. a man who is about to be married or who has recently married. Often used in formal or literary contexts to distinguish the male partner in a wedding.
The bridegroom waited nervously at the altar.
After the ceremony, the bridegroom gave a short speech to thank his guests for attending the wedding.
The poet describes the bridegroom as a figure of quiet resolve, standing in stark contrast to the jubilant chaos of the wedding festivities unfolding around him.
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.