groom

[groom, groo m] /grum, grʊm/
noun
1.
a bridegroom.
2.
a man or boy in charge of horses or the stable.
3.
any of several officers of the English royal household.
4.
Archaic. a manservant.
verb (used with object)
5.
to tend carefully as to person and dress; make neat or tidy.
6.
to clean, brush, and otherwise tend (a horse, dog, etc.).
7.
to prepare for a position, election, etc.:
The mayor is being groomed for the presidency.
8.
(of an animal) to tend (itself or another) by removing dirt, parasites, or specks of other matter from the fur, skin, feathers, etc.: often performed as a social act.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English grom boy, groom; apparently akin to grow
Related forms
groomer, noun
groomish, adjective
groomishly, adverb
nongrooming, adjective
regroom, verb (used with object)
ungroomed, adjective
Synonyms
7. educate, train, coach, drill, tutor.
Examples from the web for groom
  • His succinct explanation: the government invited the groom but failed to prepare the bride.
  • Stick with the bride and groom before and after the ceremony.
  • Douse tops with water occasionally, feed regularly, groom by removing old leafstalks.
  • Academics pick bright undergraduate students and groom them as potential graduate students.
  • Yet the president has conspicuously failed to groom a successor.
  • As they groom themselves, the tears-and the pheromone-get spread around their bodies and nests.
  • The bride and groom stand facing each other in the middle of the wedding party.
  • But doubts about his sincerity are fuelled by his failure to groom anyone for the post.
  • There is also concern that chains of relatives may be brought in by one bride or groom.
  • Moreover, animals often seem to groom each other for far longer than is strictly necessary to keep their fur pristine.
British Dictionary definitions for groom

groom

/ɡruːm; ɡrʊm/
noun
1.
a person employed to clean and look after horses
2.
See bridegroom
3.
any of various officers of a royal or noble household
4.
(archaic) a male servant or attendant
5.
(archaic, poetic) a young man
verb (transitive)
6.
to make or keep (clothes, appearance, etc) clean and tidy
7.
to rub down, clean, and smarten (a horse, dog, etc)
8.
to train or prepare for a particular task, occupation, etc: to groom someone for the Presidency
9.
to win the confidence of (a victim) in order to a commit sexual assault on him or her
Derived Forms
groomer, noun
grooming, noun
Word Origin
C13 grom manservant; perhaps related to Old English grōwan to grow
Word Origin and History for groom
n.

c.1200, grome "male child, boy;" c.1300 as "youth, young man." No known cognates in other Germanic languages. Perhaps from Old English *groma, related to growan "grow;" or from Old French grommet "servant" (cf. Middle English gromet "ship's boy," early 13c.). Meaning "male servant who attends to horses" is from 1660s.

husband-to-be at a wedding, c.1600, short for bridegroom, in which the second element is Old English guma "man."

v.

1809, from groom (n.1) in its secondary sense of "male servant who attends to horses." Transferred sense of "to tidy (oneself) up" is from 1843; figurative sense of "to prepare a candidate" is from 1887, originally in U.S. politics. Related: Groomed; grooming.