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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
Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Go for a radiant set that almost feels bridal-worthy along with the addition of delicate pearls.
—Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Continue reading … AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ — Test yourself on Costco cravings and bridal blooms.
—FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 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 Apr. 2026.
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