Forms: 1 brýd, 2–4 (Kentish) brēd(e, 2–3 (s. w.) brude(ü), 3 brīd, 3–4 bryd, (4 bruyd), 4–6 bryde, 4– bride. [Common Teut: OE. brýd str. fem. = OS. brûd (MLG. brûd, MDu. bruut -de, Du. bruid), OHG., MHG. brût (mod.G. braut), ON. brúðr (Sw. Du. brud), Goth. brûþs:—OTeut. *brûđi-z; the general sense is ‘bride,’ but in Gothic, though this sense is also evidenced by the compound brûþfaþs ‘bridegroom’ (faþs = Gr. πόσις for *πότις, Skr. patis ‘lord’), the only sense actually occurring is ‘daughter-in-law’; the med.L. brūta, OF. bruy, F. bru, Rumansch brütt, from OHG., have also only the sense ‘daughter-in-law’: cf. Gr. νυμφή ‘daughter-in-law’ and ‘bride.’ Not known outside Teutonic; though some would identify with it Frūtis an Italian name of ‘Venus mater.’ Radical sense uncertain: possibly the verb root brū- ‘to cook, brew, make broth,’ a duty of a daughter-in-law in the primitive family.]
I. As separate word.
1. A woman at her marriage; a woman just about to be married or very recently married.
The term is particularly applied on the day of marriage and during the ‘honeymoon,’ but is frequently used from the proclamation of the banns, or other public announcement of the coming marriage. In the parliamentary debate on Prince Leopold’s allowance, Mr. Gladstone, being criticized for speaking of the Princess Helen as the ‘bride,’ said he believed that colloquially a lady when engaged was often called a ‘bride.’ This was met with ‘Hear! hear!’ from some, and ‘No! no!’ from others. Probably ‘bride elect’ would have satisfied critics.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 171. Sponsa, bryd.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. xxv. 1. And ferdon onʓen þone bryd-guman and þa bryde.
c. 1160. Hatton G., ibid., Onȝen þanne bred-gumen and þare brede.
c. 1200. Ormin, 15337. Crisstess hird … Iss crisstess brid onn erþe.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 164. Nefde he brude ibrouht hom?
a. 1300. Havelok, 2131. Hauelok lay on his lift side, In his armes his brihte bride.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 2622. The nyght is come the bryd shal go to bedde.
c. 1450. Gloss., in Wr.-Wülcker, 691. Hec domiduca, a bryde.
1535. Coverdale, 1 Macc. ix. 37. & brought ye bryde from Madaba with greate pompe.
1592. Shaks., Rom. & Jul., I. ii. 11. Ere we may thinke her ripe to be a Bride.
1671. Milton, Samson, 320. To seek in marriage that fallacious bride.
1858. Mackay, Three Flowers. Thus I won my blushing bride One happy summer-day.
1884. Pall Mall Gaz., 13 Feb., 8/2. The bride … wore a dress of white satin embroidered with pearls.
fig. 1611. Bible, Rev. xxi. 9. I will shew thee the Bride, the Lambes wife.
a. 1835. Mrs. Hemans, Death-d. Korner. The youth went down to a hero’s grave, With the sword, his bride.
a. 1850. Eliza Cook, Rover’s Song. The Ocean’s my home, and my bark is my bride.
† 2. In 15th and 16th c. denoting also a bridegroom; = spouse. Obs. Cf. bride-couple in 6.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 50. Bryde, infra in spowse, sponsus, sponsa.
1483. Cath. Angl., 43. A Bride; sponsa, sponsus vir eius.
1598. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. iv. II. (1641), 211/2. Sweet Daughter dear … Isis blesse thee and thy Bride With golden fruit. Ibid., II. iv. II. 213/1. Art thou not Shee, that with a chaste-sweet flame Did’st both our Brides’ hearts into one heart frame?
† 3. Occas. found = BURD ‘lady, maiden,’ etc.; but perh. only by confusion.
Thus in the quot. from Cursor M. the later versions have bride, bruyd, for the birde (= BURD) of the Cotton MS.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 7131. Vn-to þat birde [Fairf. bride, Trin. bruyd] … Sampson al þe soth hir tald.
4. A collector’s name for the Dark Crimson Underwing moth (Catocala sponsa).
1860. Gosse, Rom. Nat. Hist., 26. Ha! the lovely ‘bride’! If you can net her, you have a beauty.
II. In combination.
Bride- had originally the force of ‘bridal, wedding’ (the primitive marriage being essentially the acquisition of a bride): so in all the OE. compounds of brýd-. Only in modern combinations, as bride-like, brideless, is bride used in sense 1.
5. Obvious comb. a. = ‘bridal, wedding,’ as bride-banquet, -barn, -bell, -chamber, -clothes, -day, -kiss, -ring, -sleep, -song, -wife. b. = ‘bride,’ as brideless, bride-lifter, -lifting, bride-like, bride-widowing adj.
a. 1633. Ford, ’Tis Pity, IV. i. That marriage seldom’s good, Where the *bride-banquet so begins in blood.
1652. Brome, Jov. Crew, IV. ii. 424. We are mist within the *Bride-Barn among the Revell rout.
1850. Mrs. Browning, Poems, II. 29. The merry *bride-bell Rings clear through the greenwood. Ibid., II. 46. Why glads it thee, that a *bride-day be By a word of woe defiled.
c. 1380. Wyclif, De Dot. Eccl., Sel. Wks. III. 440. Ȝif we have þenne *bryde-cloþis, we shal for evere be dampned.
1830. Carlyle, Richter, Misc. (1857), II. 150. Caroline … bestowed on him the *bride-kiss of her own accord.
1851. Kingsley, Yeast, xiii. 246. Where is your *bride-ring, my fair maid?
1871. Rossetti, Eden Bower, xvii. That he may … curse the day when the *bride-sleep took him.
1587. Golding, De Mornay, xxiv. 372. For *Bridesongs, they bee not wanting.
1629. Ford, Lover’s Mel., V. i. Sorrows are chang’d to bride-songs.
1567. Turberv., Ovid’s Epist., 51. Ne didst thou cause a marriage bed for *bridewife to be drest.
b. 1884. Tennyson, Becket, 170. The *brideless Becket is thy King and mine.
1865. M‘Lennan, Prim. Marriage, 33. Thus in North Friesland, a young fellow, called the *bride-lifter, lifts the bride and her two bridesmaids upon the waggon.
1871. Tylor, Prim. Cult., I. 65. *‘Bridelifting’ has been noticed as one of the regular games of the little native boys and girls.
1824. Miss Mitford, Village, Ser. I. (1863), 117. I never saw any thing so delicate and *bride-like as she looked in her white gown.
1832. L. Hunt, Poems, 173. The *bride-widowing sword.
6. Special comb.: † bride-belt, the zone or belt worn by a virgin; † bride-bowl = BRIDE-CUP; bride-bush, a bush hung out at the (village) ale-house in honor of a wedding; † bride-couple, a newly wedded pair; bride-door, the door of the BRIDEHOUSE; bride-knot, a wedding favor; † bride-leader, the precursor of the later BRIDEMAN, who brought the bride to the bridegroom; † bride-mother one who acts the part of mother at weddings in some countries; bride-price, money paid for a bride; † bride-squire = BRIDEMAN; bride-stake, a pole set up to dance round at a wedding; bride-weed, a bride’s dress or veil; bride-wort, Meadow-sweet (Spiræa Ulmaria); also, American Meadow-sweet (S. salicifolia). Also BRIDE-ALE, BRIDEWOMAN, q.v.
1598. Sylvester, Du Bartas (1608), 376. Thou wed a wife, another ’fore thy face Shall lose her *bride-belt.
1630. B. Jonson, New Inn, Argt. Lord Beaufort … calls for his bed and *bride-bowl to be made ready.
1654. Gayton, Festiv. Notes, II. iv. 50. His *Bride-bush, which to that purpose is very good, if a thorne or two were pluckt out of it.
1635. J. Hayward, Banish’d Virg., 172. Having lodg’d the *bride-couple a-bed.
1864. Atkinson, Whitby Gloss., s.v. Bride-door, To run ‘for the *bride-door’; the race for the bride’s gift by young men, who wait at the church-door till the marriage ceremony is over. The prize is usually a ribbon, which is worn for the day in the hat of the winner.
1694. Ladies Dict. (N.). Nor was he slow in furnishing the *bride-knots and favours.
1552. Huloet, *Bryde leader, pronubus.
1561. Daus, trans. Bullinger on Apoc. (1573), 202. The Apostles as the *brideleaders … haue brought the Church to our Sauiour, a chaste virgin.
1712. Lond. Gaz., No. 4987/1. The Empress Dowager with the Vice-Admiral’s Lady, were the *Bride-Mothers.
1876. Digby, Real Prop., iii. i. § 4. 113. By early Teutonic custom … the *bride-price, or price paid by the intending husband to the family of the bride.
1885. Pall Mall Gaz., 7 Feb., 5/1. When the bride price has been paid, the girl runs away and hides, the bridegroom follows, and his friend (compare our ‘best man’) brings her home by force.
1633. B. Jonson, Love’s Welc. The two *bride-squires … were in two yellow leather doublets.
1854. Syd. Dobell, Balder, xxiii. 123. The mist is as a *brideweed on the moon.
1863. Prior, Plant-n., *Bridewort, from its resemblance to the white feathers worn by brides.
