Groomsman
/ˈɡruːmz.mən/noun
A man who attends and assists the groom at a wedding.
Did you know?The first part, groom, originally meant a servant or boy attending horses, so the modern wedding role preserves a very old social hierarchy in plain sight.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
guma
“man, human being”
Middle English
ME
grome
“boy, youth, servant”
Late Middle English
ME
grome
“servant attending horses; stable hand”
16th Century
English
groom
“male servant; attendant”
18th Century
English
groomsman
“an attendant of the groom at a wedding”
Modern English
English
groomsman
“a man who assists and attends the groom at a wedding”