bridesmaid

Definition

A woman who attends a bride during her wedding ceremony, as part of the main wedding party.

Etymology

From bride + -s- + maid. In the sports and entertainment sense: in reference to the saying always a bridesmaid, never a bride.

Example Sentences

• "I'd love to be your bridesmaid at the wedding."
• "I was promised sex. Everybody said it. You'll be a bridesmaid, you'll get sex, you'll be fighting 'em off. But not so much as a tongue in sight."
• "He had taken her for a dogsbody, a beta fish, a bridesmaid, a ride-along; he had looked right past her, as likely many people did."