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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
Katherine Ormerod, Vogue, 4 July 2024
After near-endless rain from Tropical Storm Debby, the skies parted for an idyllic day of trying on Emilia Wickstead’s ready-to-wear bridal and Pre-Fall 2024 collections, as well as shopping and adding Aerin pieces to Over The Moon registries.
—Vogue, 12 Aug. 2024
Emily Mercer, WWD, 14 Aug. 2024
When the pandemic ended and people were allowed to throw wedding ceremonies again, the brand pivoted a second time, launching Rotate Wedding in spring 2022 with statement bridal gowns, bridesmaid and guest dresses.
—Ebony-Renee Baker, refinery29.com, 9 Aug. 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.
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“Bridal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bridal. Accessed 11 Sep. 2024.
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