SYNONYMS | EXAMPLES | WORD ORIGIN noun the act or ceremony of marrying; marriage; nuptials.
the anniversary of a marriage, or its celebration: They invited guests to their silver wedding.
the act or an instance of blending or joining, especially opposite or contrasting elements: a perfect wedding of conservatism and liberalism.
Business Slang a merger.
adjective of or relating to a wedding: the wedding ceremony; a wedding dress.
Origin of wedding before 900; Middle English; Old English weddung. See
wed ,
-ing1 verb (used with object), wed·ded or wed, wed·ding. to marry (another person) in a formal ceremony.
to unite (a couple) in marriage or wedlock; marry.
to bind by close or lasting ties; attach firmly: She wedded herself to the cause of the poor.
to blend together or unite inseparably: a novel that weds style and content perfectly.
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verb (used without object), wed·ded or wed, wed·ding. to contract marriage; marry.
to become united or to blend: a building that will wed with the landscape.
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Origin of wed before 900; Middle English wedde, Old English weddian to pledge; cognate with German wetten to bet, Old Norse vethja to pledge
Related forms in·ter·wed , verb (used without object), in·ter·wed or in·ter·wed·ded, in·ter·wed·ding. re·wed , verb, re·wed·ded, re·wed·ding. un·wed , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for wedding Contemporary Examples of wedding Dance instructors run a lucrative trade offering private lessons to couples before their wedding receptions, typically the tango.
Just a week after her divorce, she was invited to a wedding by her sister-in-law.
And thus I end up at the bottom of the stairs, about one month after my injury and two months after my wedding .
Sarah said that she loves, loves, loves the royal couple and had even gotten up before dawn to watch their 2011 wedding .
For inmates located outside the Los Angeles area, a wedding with Bensoussan can run up to $2,000 or $3,000.
Historical Examples of wedding By the middle of June the wedding presents began to come in.
There the wedding supper was to be served by caterers at small tables.
I don't know which was nicer, Jessica, Nora's wedding or yours.
She and I have picked out a stunning design for the wedding dress.
Of course, unless father gives me one for a wedding present, it will be a cheap one.
British Dictionary definitions for wedding noun the act of marrying or the celebration of a marriage (as modifier ) wedding day the anniversary of a marriage (in such combinations as silver wedding or diamond wedding )
the combination or blending of two separate elements
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verb weds , wedding , wedded or wed to take (a person of the opposite sex) as a husband or wife; marry
(tr) to join (two people) in matrimony
(tr) to unite closely
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Word Origin for wed Old English weddian; related to Old Frisian weddia, Old Norse vethja, Gothic wadi pledge
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for wedding n. Old English weddung "state of being wed" (see wed ). Meaning "ceremony of marriage" is recorded from c.1300; the usual Old English word for the ceremony was bridelope , literally "bridal run," in reference to conducting the bride to her new home. Wedding cake is recorded from 1640s; as a style of architecture, attested from 1879.
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v. Old English weddian "to pledge, covenant to do something, marry," from Proto-Germanic *wadjojanan (cf. Old Norse veðja "to bet, wager," Old Frisian weddia "to promise," Gothic ga-wadjon "to betroth"), from PIE root *wadh- "to pledge, to redeem a pledge" (cf. Latin vas , genitive vadis "bail, security," Lithuanian vaduoti "to redeem a pledge"). Sense remained "pledge" in other Germanic languages (cf. German Wette "bet, wager"); development to "marry" is unique to English. "Originally 'make a woman one's wife by giving a pledge or earnest money', then used of either party" [Buck]. Related: Wedded ; wedding .
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with wedding The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
