Online Etymology Dictionary

bride: O.E. bryd, from P.Gmc. *bruthiz "woman being married" (cf. O.Fris. breid, Du. bruid, O.H.G. brut, Ger. Braut "bride"). Goth. cognate bruþs, however, meant "daughter-in-law," and the form of the word borrowed from O.H.G. into M.L. (bruta) and O.Fr. (bruy) only had this sense. In ancient IE custom, the married woman went to live with her husband's family, so the only "newly-wed female" in such a household would be the daughter-in-law. On the same notion, some trace the word itself to the PIE verbal root *bru- "to cook, brew, make broth," as this was the daughter-in-law's job.
bridesmaid: 1552, bridemaid, from bride + maid. The -s- is excrescent but began to appear by 1794 and the form with it predominated by the end of the 19c.
bridegroom: O.E. brydguma "suitor," from bryd "bride" + guma "man" (cf. O.N. gumi, O.H.G. gomo, cognate with L. homo "man"). Ending altered 16c. by folk etymology after groom "groom, boy, lad" (q.v.). Common Gmc. term, except in Goth., which used bruþsfaþs, lit. "bride's lord."
nymph: 1390, "class of semi-divine female beings," from O.Fr. nimphe, from L. nympha "nymph, bride," from Gk. nymphe "bride," later "beautiful young woman," then "semi-divine being in the form of a beautiful maiden;" related to L. nubere "to marry, wed" (see nuptial). Sub-groups include dryads, hamadryads, naiads, nereids, and oreads. Sense in Eng. of "young woman, girl" is attested from 1584. Meaning "insect stage between larva and adult" is recorded from 1577. Nymphet "sexually attractive young girl" is from 1955, introduced by Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) in his novel "Lolita" to describe alluring (in the eyes of some men) girls age 9 to 14.
droit du seigneur: 1784, alleged medieval custom whereby the feudal lord had the right to have sex with the bride of his vassal on their wedding night before she went to her husband, from Fr., lit. "the lord's right." There is little evidence that it actually existed; it seems to have been invented in imagination 16c. or 17c. The L. form was jus primæ noctis, "law of the first night."
burd: poetic word for "woman, lady" in old ballads; later "young lady, maiden," c.1200, perhaps from O.E. byrde "wealthy, well-born." Or a metathesis of bryd "bride." The masculine equivalent was berne.
bridal (n.): "wedding feast," O.E. brydealo "marriage feast," from bryd ealu, lit. "bride ale;" second element later confused with suffix -al.
wedding: O.E. weddung "state of being wed" (see wed). Meaning "ceremony of marriage" is recorded from c.1300; the usual O.E. word for the ceremony was bridelope, lit. "bridal run," in reference to conducting the bride to her new home. Wedding cake is recorded from 1648; as a style of architecture, attested from 1879.
spouse: c.1200, "a married woman in relation to her husband" (also of men), from O.Fr. spus (fem. spuse), from L. sponsus "bridegroom" (fem. sponsa "bride"), from masc. and fem. pp. of spondere "to bind oneself, promise solemnly," from PIE *spend- "to make an offering, perform a rite" (see spondee). Spouse-breach (early 13c.) was an old name for "adultery."
nuptial: 1490, from L. nuptialis "pertaining to marriage," from nuptiæ "wedding," from nupta, fem. pp. of nubere "take as a husband," related to Gk. nymphe "bride," from PIE *sneubho- "to marry, wed" (cf. O.C.S. snubiti "to love, woo," Czech snoubiti "to seek in marriage," Slovak zasnubit "to betroth").
Pandora: 1579, first mortal woman, made by Hephaestus and given as a bride to Epimetheus, from Gk. pandora "all-gifted," from pan "all" + doron "gift," from PIE base *do- "to give." Pandora's box (1579) refers to her gift from Zeus, which was foolishly opened by Epimetheus, upon which all the contents escaped. They were said to be the host of human ills, or, in a later version, all the blessings of the god, except Hope, which alone remained.
gift: 1104, from O.N. gift, from P.Gmc. *giftiz (cf. O.Fris. jefte, M.Du. ghifte "gift," Ger. Mitgift "dowry"), from PIE base *ghabh- "to give or receive" (see habit). O.E. cognate gift meant "bride-price, marriage gift (by the groom), dowry" (O.E. for "giving, gift" was related giefu). Sense of "natural talent" is c.1300.
nymphomania: 1775, in Eng. translation of "Nymphomania, or a Dissertation Concerning the Furor Uterinus," by Fr. doctor M.D.T. Bienville, coined from Gk. nymphe "bride" + mania "madness," perhaps influenced by earlier Fr. nymphomanie. Defined as "a female disease characterized by morbid and uncontrollable sexual desire." Also coined in 1775 (by Richard Chandler, in "Travels in Greece") was nympholepsy, on model of epilepsy, with second element from stem of Gk. lambanein "to take;" defined as "a state of rapture supposed to be inspired in men by nymphs; esp. an ecstasy or frenzy caused by desire for the unattainable." Nympho "nymphomaniac" is from 1935.
marten: c.1250, "skin or fur of the marten," from O.Fr. martrine, noun use of fem. adj. martrin "of or pertaining to the marten," from martre "marten," from Frank. *martar, from P.Gmc. *marthuz (cf. O.S. marthrin "of or pertaining to the marten," O.Fris. merth, O.E. mearþ, O.N. mörðr "marten"), probably from PIE *martu- "bride," perhaps on some fancied resemblance, or else a Gmc. euphemism for the real name of the animal, which may have been taboo. In M.E. the animal itself was called marter, directly from O.Fr. martre, but marten took over this sense in Eng. c.1400.
morganatic: 1727, from Fr. morganatique, from M.L. matrimonium ad morganaticam "marriage of the morning," probably from O.H.G. *morgangeba (M.H.G. morgengabe) "morning gift," corresponding to O.E. morgengifu (see morn + gift). In an unequal marriage between a man of royal blood and a common woman, this was a gift traditionally given to the wife on the morning after consummation, representing the only share she and her children may claim in the husband's estate. Also known as left-handed marriage, because the groom gives the bride his left hand instead of his right, but sometimes this latter term is used of a class of marriage (esp. in Germany) where the spouse of inferior rank is not elevated, but the children inherit rights of succession.
shower (n.): O.E. scur "short fall of rain, fall of missiles or blows," from W.Gmc. *skuraz (cf. O.N. skur, O.S., O.H.G. scur, Ger. Schauer, Goth. skura, in skura windis "windstorm"), from base *skuro, from PIE base *kew-(e)ro- "north, north wind" (cf. L. caurus "northwest wind;" O.C.S. severu "north, north wind;" Lith. siaurus "raging, stormy," siaurys "north wind," siaure "north"). Sense of "shower bath" first recorded 1851. The verb is from 1573. Meaning "large number of gifts bestowed on a bride" (1904, Amer.Eng. colloquial) later was extended to the party at which it happens (1926).
whore (n.): O.E. hore "prostitute, harlot," from P.Gmc. *khoraz (fem. *khoron-) "one who desires" (cf. O.N. hora "adulteress," Dan. hore, Swed. hora, Du. hoer, O.H.G. huora "whore;" in Goth. only in the masc. hors "adulterer, fornicator," also as a verb, horinon "commit adultery"), from PIE *qar-, a base that has produced words in other languages for "lover" (cf. L. carus "dear;" O.Ir. cara "friend;" O.Pers. kama "desire;" Skt. Kama, name of the Hindu god of love, kamah "love, desire," the first element in Kama Sutra). Whore itself is perhaps a Gmc. euphemism for a word that has not survived. Some equivalent words in other languages also derive from sources not originally pejorative, e.g. perhaps O.Fr. pute, perhaps lit. "girl," fem. of V.L. *puttus (but perhaps rather from L. putidus "stinking;" see poontang). Welsh putain "whore" is from O.Fr., probably via M.E. Cf. also Bohemian nevestka, dim. of nevesta "bride." And Du. deern, Ger. dirne originally "girl, lass, wench." Among other languages, Gk. porne "prostitute" is related to pernemi "sell," with an original notion, probably of a female slave sold for prostitution; L. meretrix is lit. "one who earns wages" (source of Ir. mertrech, O.E. miltestre "whore, prostitute"). The vulgar Roman word was scortum, lit. "skin, hide." Another term was lupa, lit. "she-wolf" (preserved in Sp. loba, It. lupa, Fr. louve; see wolf). And of course there was prostituta, lit, "placed in front," thus "publicly exposed," from the fem. pp. of prostituere (see prostitute). Another O.N. term was skækja, which yielded Dan. skøge, Swed. sköka; probably from M.L.G. schoke, which is perhaps from schode "foreskin of a horse's penis," perhaps with the sense of "skin" (cf. L. scortum) or perhaps via an intermediary sense of "vagina." Sp. ramera, Port. ramiera are from fem. form of ramero "young bird of prey," lit. "little branch," from ramo "branch." Breton gast is cognate with Welsh gast "bitch," of uncertain origin. Cf. also strumpet, harlot. O.C.S. ljubodejica is from ljuby dejati "fornicate," a compound from ljuby "love" + dejati "put, perform." Rus. bljad "whore" derives from O.C.S. bladinica, from bladu "fornication." Pol. nierzadnica is lit. "disorderly woman." Skt. vecya is a derivation of veca- "house, dwelling," especially "house of ill-repute, brothel." Another term, pumccali, means lit. "one who runs after men." Avestan jahika is lit. "woman," but only of evil creatures; another term is kunairi, from pejorative prefix ku- + nairi "woman." The wh- spelling became current 16c. A general term of abuse from at least 13c. Whore of Babylon is from Rev. xvii:1, 5, etc.