nuptial

American  

[nuhp-shuhl, -chuhl] / ˈnʌp ʃəl, -tʃəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to marriage or the marriage ceremony.

   the nuptial day;

   nuptial vows.

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of mating or the mating season of animals.

   nuptial behavior.

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noun

1. Usually nuptials a wedding or marriage.

nuptial British  

/ -tʃəl, ˈnʌpʃəl /

adjective

1. relating to marriage; conjugal

   nuptial vows

2. zoology of or relating to mating

   the nuptial flight of a queen bee

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Pronunciation

The pronunciations and , by analogy with such words as mutual and actual, are not considered standard.

Related Words

See marriage.

Other Word Forms

• nuptially adverb
• quasi-nuptial adjective

Etymology

Origin of nuptial

First recorded in 1480–90; ( Middle French ) from Latin nuptiālis, equivalent to nupti(ae) “marriage, wedding,” derivative of nūbere “(of a woman) to marry” + -ālis adjective suffix; nubile

Explanation

You can describe something related to a wedding, or nuptials, using nuptial. You might go on a diet, getting ready for your nuptial day. After the wedding, you might experience nuptial bliss. It’s a little-known fact that zombies fear anything nuptial. The sight of wedding cakes, bridal processions, or spousal rites makes body parts fall away. Nuptial bliss turns the remaining parts to jelly. When the Zombie Army comes marching into your hometown, your best defense is to grab the nearest single girl or guy and find a minister. Just don’t forget to sign a prenuptial agreement: you don’t want to argue later about who gets the zombie artifacts.

Example Sentences

The Ancient Greek and Roman elite held multi-day nuptial feasts, a tradition that was carried into the Middle Ages when weddings served as important political and social transactions between countries and kingdoms.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2024

In an exclusive interview with People, Underwood and Hart spoke about the process of their wedding planning and the nuptial day itself.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2023

Instead of producing nuptial gifts containing more maltose, they produced ones that contained a more complex sugar, maltotriose.

From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2023

But the perfect wedding day almost didn’t come together for two families who traveled to the island for nuptial festivities that almost got derailed by Hurricane Ian’s landfall and aftermath.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 1, 2022

They used her Uncle Nicolas’s books, the dishes, the boxes, the furniture, and the drapes of bygone days to arrange their astonishing nuptial chamber.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende