groom

name

1. An English surname originating as an occupation for a servant.
2. A town in Carson County, Texas, United States.

noun

Etymology: From Middle English grom, grome (“man-child, boy, youth”), of uncertain origin. Apparently related to Middle Dutch grom (“boy”), Old Icelandic grómr, gromr (“man, manservant, boy”), Old French gromme (“manservant”), and also to Middle Dutch grom (“fish guts”), Middle Low German grôm (“fish guts”), from the same Proto-Germanic root. Possibly from Old English *grōm, from Proto-West Germanic *grōm (“swollen belly, stomach tumour, womb-child, fish roe, fish guts”), from Proto-Germanic *grōaną (“to grow”). Alternative etymology describes Middle English grom, grome as an alteration of gome (“man”) with an intrusive r (also found in bridegroom, hoarse, cartridge, etc.), with the Middle Dutch and Old Icelandic cognates following similar variation of their respective forms.

1. A person who looks after horses.

   “Toward the end of the war, Benoit was sent off on his own with forged papers; he wound up working as a horse groom at a chalet in the Loire valley. Mandelbrot describes this harrowing youth with great sangfroid.”

2. One of several officers of the English royal household, chiefly in the lord chamberlain's department.

   “the groom of the chamber; the groom of the stole”

3. A male servant, or more generally, a common man.

   “The needy groom, that never finger'd groat, Would make a miracle of thus much coin …”

   “Going into the hall he saw a handsome groom, in a braided livery and a bear fur cape, holding a white fur cloak.”

4. A brushing or cleaning, as of a dog or horse.

   “Give the mare a quick groom before you take her out.”

verb

Etymology: From Middle English grom, grome (“man-child, boy, youth”), of uncertain origin. Apparently related to Middle Dutch grom (“boy”), Old Icelandic grómr, gromr (“man, manservant, boy”), Old French gromme (“manservant”), and also to Middle Dutch grom (“fish guts”), Middle Low German grôm (“fish guts”), from the same Proto-Germanic root. Possibly from Old English *grōm, from Proto-West Germanic *grōm (“swollen belly, stomach tumour, womb-child, fish roe, fish guts”), from Proto-Germanic *grōaną (“to grow”). Alternative etymology describes Middle English grom, grome as an alteration of gome (“man”) with an intrusive r (also found in bridegroom, hoarse, cartridge, etc.), with the Middle Dutch and Old Icelandic cognates following similar variation of their respective forms.

1. To attend to one's appearance and clothing.
2. To care for (horses or other animals) by brushing and cleaning them.

   “2010 (April 20) "The Collection" s1e6 of TV series Justified The wife didn't care about riding, but Owen did. Well, he cared about me. I went from doing everything — grooming, feeding, looking out — to being handed the reins of the most magnificent creatures ready to ride.”

3. To prepare (someone) for an event

   “It appears that Broderick's seconds, although cool, brave men, were entirely without experience in arranging a duel, and did not know that a man should be groomed for one as carefully as a horse is groomed for a race.”

4. To prepare (someone) for election or appointment.

   “It is of special interest to note the subjects considered as important to those who are being groomed for top administrative posts”

   “2002, Clone High episode 1 - "Escape to Beer Mountain: A Rope of Sand" Our mission is to unfreeze those clones, send them back to high school, and secretly groom them to one day rule the world. Failure to do so could mean world leaders just keep getting worse.”

5. To gain, or attempt to gain, the trust of a child or vulnerable person in order to take advantage of or exploit them, especially sexually (if under the age of consent).

   “2009, Suzanne Ost, Child Pornography and Sexual Grooming: Legal and Societal Responses”

6. In agile software development, to review and prioritize the items in the development backlog.
7. To prepare (a ski slope) for skiers by packing down the snow.