WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
par•a•nymph
(par′ə nimf′),USA pronunciation n.
- a groomsman or a bridesmaid.
- Antiquity(in ancient Greece)
- a friend who accompanied the bridegroom when he went to bring home the bride.
- the bridesmaid who escorted the bride to the bridegroom.
- Greek paránymphos (masculine and feminine) groomsman, bridesmaid, literally, person beside the bride. See para-1, nymph
- Late Latin paranymphus
- 1585–95