: of or relating to a bride or a wedding : nuptial
2
: intended for a newly married couple
a bridal suite
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A secondary meaning of Old English ealu, the ancestor of Modern English ale, was “feast, banquet,” at which the drinking of ale was a prominent activity. There were a number of these feasts and banquets that survived into the 19th century, but the oldest and best-established was the bride-ale, or wedding feast, attested in Old English as brydealu. In Middle English the ale half of the word had lost its stress and was associated with the noun suffix –al (as in funeral) and the adjective suffix (as in parental). By the 18^th^ century, bridal was perceived primarily as an adjective, as it is today.
Other highlights include an elegant double-height entry foyer resting beneath a skylight and displaying a sweeping bridal staircase, plus a living room sporting parquet floors, a fireplace, music nook and wall of French doors spilling out to a terrace.—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024 Brittany wore white cowboy boots in one of her Coachella outfits that year, a two-piece lacey look that screamed bridal.—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bridal
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bridal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English bridale, from Old English brȳdealu, from brȳd + ealu ale — more at ale
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
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