connubial
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of connubial
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin cōn(n)ūbiālis, equivalent to cōn(n)ūbi(um) “marriage” + -ālis adjective suffix; see origin at co-, nuptial, -al 1
Explanation
Use the adjective connubial to describe something that relates to marriage or to the relationship between spouses, such as connubial bliss or a connubial argument about who will take out the trash. Accent the second syllable in connubial: "ka-NEW-bee-ul." The Latin prefix con- means "together" and nubilis means "marriageable," which itself comes from nubere, meaning "take as husband." Nubere is also responsible for the word nubile, which was coined in the 1640s to describe a woman who was considered "marriage material." Today, it refers to a young, attractive woman.
Vocabulary lists containing connubial
Great Expectations
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Pride and Prejudice
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The Time Machine
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Connubial felicity they certainly achieved: and what else but an impertinence is a criticism of the means?
From Jaffery by Locke, William John
See where Connubial Love yon rock ascends, To hail each sail, while fav'ring breezes blow; There many an hour she o'er the margin bends, Her bosom trembling like the floods below.
From Poems by Carr, John, Sir
Connubial love should, therefore, be regulated by reason.
From Sketches of the Fair Sex, in All Parts of the World by Anonymous
Connubial, kon-ū′bi-al, adj. pertaining to marriage or to the marriage state: nuptial.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
Connubial couples are often anything but twin souls.
From The Soul of the Far East by Lowell, Percival
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
