Bridewealth
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Synonym of bride price.
"Textiles on Sumba are both clothing and the currency of traditional ceremonial exchange: Many fine folded cloths must be presented at each marriage as part of a counterpayment for a bridewealth paid in horses, buffalo, and gold, and at each funeral as a sign of mourning and later also a counterpayment for animals contributed to the slaughter."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"Textiles on Sumba are both clothing and the currency of traditional ceremonial exchange: Many fine folded cloths must be presented at each marriage as part of a counterpayment for a bridewealth paid in horses, buffalo, and gold, and at each funeral as a sign of mourning and later also a counterpayment for animals contributed to the slaughter."
Etymology
From bride + wealth.
More for "bridewealth"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.