: 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.
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Noun
In addition to the lack of tiara, Camilla opted to go with less traditional bridal looks for her big day.—Meredith Kile, People.com, 4 July 2025 Only recently have some of the traditional aspects of bridal wear first popularized by Victoria been updated for modern times.—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 30 June 2025
Adjective
Brody also shared sweet footage of the newlyweds feeding a slice of wedding cake to their 2-year-old daughter, Honey Raye, who wore a white dress to match her mom’s bridal look.—Escher Walcott, People.com, 14 July 2025 The launch further broadened the fashion company’s scope, which encompasses ready-to-wear, couture, bridal, accessories, eyewear, childrenswear, watches and fragrances.—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 10 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for bridal
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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