Paranymph

//ˈpaɹənɪmf// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A friend of the bridegroom; a best man; a bridesmaid. archaic

    "Thy Paranymph, worthleſs to thee compar'd, […]"

  2. 2
    An ally or spokesman; someone who speaks in support of someone else. archaic

    "But it is the basest of all when lust is the paranymph, and solicits the suit, and makes the contract, and joins the hands; […]"

Synonyms

All synonyms
abettoracolyteadjutantadmireradvocateaficionado

Example

More examples

"Thy Paranymph, worthleſs to thee compar'd, […]"

Etymology

From Middle French paranymphe, from Latin paranymphus, from Ancient Greek παράνυμφος (paránumphos, “friend of bridegroom”), from παρα- (para-, “para-”) + νύμφη (númphē, “bride”).

Related phrases

best man

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.