'bridesmaid' originates from English, specifically a compound of 'bride' and 'maid', where 'bride' meant 'a woman about to be married' (from Old English 'bryd') and 'maid' meant 'young woman' (from Old English 'mægden').

'bridesmaid' developed in Middle English from the combination of the words 'bride' (Old English 'bryd') and 'maid' (Middle English 'mayd' from Old English 'mægden'), eventually forming the modern compound 'bridesmaid'.

Initially, the elements referred simply to 'bride' + 'young woman'; over time the compound came to mean specifically 'a woman who assists the bride at a wedding'.