bride price

Noun

bride price (plural bride prices)

1. In some cultures, a sum of money or other valuables paid by a bridegroom or on his behalf to the family of the bride.
   • It is well known in Artas as in other villages exactly what the bride price should customarily be—so much for a cousin bride, so much more for a village bride, more still for a stranger.1937, Grace Crowfoot, “Custom and Folk Tale in Palestine. The Dowry or Bride Price,”, in Folklore, volume 48, number 1, page 31
   • Taiqian county in Henan province has issued guidelines saying grooms should pay no more than 60,000 yuan (HK$67,000) as a “bride price”, the Chinese tradition that a male partner offers money to his fiancée’s family to secure their marriage.2017 January 4, Liu Zhen, “Don’t pay over 60,000 yuan for a bride, say Chinese officials”, in South China Morning Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 05 Jan 2017, China

   Synonyms:

   bride gift, bride-gift, bridegift, bride wealth, bride-wealth, bridewealth, bride token, dower, reverse dowry, dowry

   Antonyms:

   dowry