nuptial
[ nuhp-shuh l, -chuh l ]
/ ˈnʌp ʃəl, -tʃəl /
adjective
of or relating to marriage or the marriage ceremony: the nuptial day; nuptial vows.
of, relating to, or characteristic of mating or the mating season of animals: nuptial behavior.
noun
Usually nuptials. a wedding or marriage.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- nunnery,
- nunny bag,
- nuoc mam,
- nupe,
- nupercaine,
- nuptial mass,
- nuptial plumage,
- nuptially,
- nuptials,
- nuque
Origin of nuptial
1480–90; (Middle French) < Latin nuptiālis, equivalent to nupti(ae) marriage, wedding, derivative of nubēre to marry (of a woman); cf. nubile
Synonym study
3. See marriage.
Pronunciation note
The pronunciations [nuhp-choo-uh l] /ˈnʌp tʃu əl/ and [nuhp-shoo-uh l] /ˈnʌp ʃu əl/, by analogy with such words as mutual and actual, are not considered standard.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for nuptial
nuptial
/ (ˈnʌpʃəl, -tʃəl) /
adjective
relating to marriage; conjugalnuptial vows
zoology of or relating to matingthe nuptial flight of a queen bee
Word Origin for nuptial
C15: from Latin nuptiālis, from nuptiae marriage, from nubere to marry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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nuptial
late 15c., from Middle French nuptial, or directly from Latin nuptialis "pertaining to marriage," from nuptiae "wedding," from nupta, fem. past participle of nubere "to marry, wed, take as a husband," related to Greek nymphe "bride," from PIE *sneubh- "to marry, wed" (cf. Old Church Slavonic snubiti "to love, woo," Czech snoubiti "to seek in marriage," Slovak zasnubit "to betroth"). Related: Nuptially.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper