Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bride-to-be” come from?

bride-to-be (English) comes from English to-be, from English to, from Middle English to, from Middle English tone, from Latin tonus, from Ancient Greek τόνος, from Proto-Hellenic tónos, from Proto-Indo-European tónos — to stretch, to extend.

bride-to-be (English): A woman who is soon to be married

Definitions

  1. A woman who is soon to be married

Ancestry of “bride-to-be”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishto-beThe future, that which is to come
2EnglishtoA particle used for marking the following verb as...
3Middle Englishtotoe; to; too
4Middle Englishtonethe one
5LatintonusThe stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;...
6Ancient Greekτόνοςrope, cord; chord; tone, note
7Proto-Hellenictónosrope, cord; tension
8Proto-Indo-Europeantónossomething stretched; chord, fiber, string
9Proto-Indo-Europeanten-to stretch, to extend
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ten- →