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.
Nearby words
nunnery, nunny bag, nuoc mam, nupe, nupercaine, nuptial, 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
Related formsnup·tial·ly, adverbqua·si-nup·tial, adjective
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
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 Formsnuptially, adverb
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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for nuptial
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