nuptial
[ nuhp-shuhl, -chuhl ]
/ ˈnʌp ʃəl, -tʃəl /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
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 for nuptial
3. See marriage.
pronunciation note for nuptial
The pronunciations [nuhp-choo-uhl] /ˈnʌp tʃu əl/ and [nuhp-shoo-uhl], /ˈnʌp ʃu əl/, by analogy with such words as mutual and actual, are not considered standard.
OTHER WORDS FROM nuptial
nup·tial·ly, adverbquasi-nuptial, adjectiveWords nearby nuptial
nun's veiling, nuoc mam, Nupe, Nupercaine, Nuprin, nuptial, nuptial mass, nuptial plumage, nuptials, nuque, NUR
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for nuptial
British Dictionary definitions for nuptial
nuptial
/ (ˈnʌpʃəl, -tʃəl) /
adjective
relating to marriage; conjugalnuptial vows
zoology of or relating to matingthe nuptial flight of a queen bee
Derived forms of nuptial
nuptially, adverbWord 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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012