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Glite Dictionary
rainbow bridge

rainbow bridge

7.4
A peaceful place people imagine their pets go after they die
  • noun
  • /ˈreɪnboʊ brɪdʒ/
  • Literature
translation icon : puente del arcoíris
  • Many believe that pets go to the rainbow bridge after they pass away.

Examples

  • Many people find solace in the belief that their pets have crossed the rainbow bridge.

  • After her beloved cat died, the idea of the rainbow bridge gave her comfort.

  • She wrote a heartfelt message about her old dog's journey over the rainbow bridge.

  • The story of the rainbow bridge comforts many pet owners.

  • When my beloved cat passed away, I took comfort in imagining her at the rainbow bridge, playing with other pets in a peaceful place.

  • Many pet owners find solace in the thought that their pets are waiting for them at the rainbow bridge after they pass away.

  • The comforting concept of the rainbow bridge helps many people cope with the loss of their furry companions.

Surface Forms

rainbow bridge singular
rainbow bridges plural

Morphology

rainbow + bridge

The constituents 'rainbow' (hope/beauty) and 'bridge' (a passage or link) give a clear metaphorical cue of a hopeful crossing or place, so learners could guess a non-literal, comforting location. However, the specific cultural sense of a post‑death place for deceased pets is not directly derivable from the words alone and requires prior cultural exposure, so it is only partially transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

The noun rainbow bridge comes from a comforting image: a bright rainbow that makes a bridge for pets to cross into a peaceful place after they die. One popular story says people used this picture in poems and messages, so rainbow bridge now means a hopeful 'afterlife' for pets.