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Glite Dictionary
matron of honor

matron of honor

1 3.5
A married woman who is the bride's main helper at a wedding
  • noun
  • /ˈmeɪtrən əv ˈɒnər/
  • US
translation icon : madrina de honor
  • He says, "I've been consulting with the matron of honor."
  • bridesmaids and matron of honor
  • matron of honor, my sister
  • served as matron of honor

She's asked me to be her bridesmaid, maid of honor, matron of honor.

Examples

  • Beverly, who had served as matron of honor, leaned toward her laughingly and clapped.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • "To be my matron of honor," Jo Lynn said hopefully.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • I mean, my matron of honor?

    Monster-in-Law (2005)

  • And here's the matron of honor, dying to tell me how weird her family is.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • But so, it seems, was my matron of honor, Mildred Halliday.

    Penelope (1966)

  • It's the maid/matron of honor's (MOH) job to direct the other maids through their duties.

    Blog text (25)

  • And beside her stood the matron of honor, my sister, then Colyeranne Reilly, married for a year to my best man, Sam Reilly, the most insufferable bore in Memphis.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • If that conundrum wasn't enough, Elise had two matrons of honor: tiny, bird-like Annie Paradise and corpulent Brenda Cushman.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • My sister asked me to be her matron of honor when she gets married next summer.

  • As the matron of honor, she gave a heartfelt speech at the wedding reception.

Antonyms

best man
152 2.4

A man who stands next to the groom and helps him at the wedding

Surface Forms

matron of honor singular
matrons of honor plural

Morphology

matron + of + honor

The components 'matron' (a married dignified woman) and 'honor' (recognition) hint that this is an honored woman, and learners familiar with parallel phrases like 'maid of honor' can plausibly infer it relates to a ceremonial/wedding role. However, the precise conventional meaning—being the bride's chief attendant at a wedding—is a culturally specific, institutionalized role not strictly predictable from the literal parts alone.

Etymology

Matron of honor may come from old wedding customs where matron meant a respected 'married' woman and of honor showed she was the bride's special helper. So today it means a married woman who is the bride's main helper, not an unmarried 'maid of honor'.