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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.
Examples of bridal in a Sentence
Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 26 Feb. 2026
In December 2023, Gruppo Calzedonia took on the Oniverse moniker, reflecting the transformation of the Italian company from an innerwear and hosiery specialist to an international and diversified group that now spans from luxury fashion and the label Antonio Marras to bridal, food and wine.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 16 Feb. 2026
Emma Banks, InStyle, 25 Feb. 2026
As to which short bridal styles are trending in 2026?
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bridal
Cite this Entry
“Bridal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bridal. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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