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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 6, 2010 is:
paranymph \PAIR-uh-nimf\ noun
1 : a friend going with a bridegroom to fetch home the bride in ancient Greece; also : the bridesmaid conducting the bride to the bridegroom
2 a : best man
b : bridesmaid
Examples:
The bride and groom, accompanied by their paranymphs, stood before the officiating clergy.
Did you know?
"Paranymph" resulted from the marriage of the Greek prefix "para-" and the Greek word for bride, "nymphē." The prefix "para-" can mean "beside" or "alongside of," as is apparent in the word "parallel," from the Greek word "parallēlos," a union of "para-" and the word "allēnōn," meaning "of one another." At one time, the word "paranymph" also was used for a person who solicits or speaks for another -- that is, an advocate -- but that sense is now very rare.
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