: 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.
Shoppers love how versatile the dress is; while many wore it for summer weddings, several also donned the dress to bridal and baby showers.—Gabriella Maestri, Travel + Leisure, 15 June 2024 Going forward, Gerstein sees more areas of opportunity both in the bridal and fine jewelry categories, all while homing in on Brilliant Earth’s mission of utilizing sustainable practices and high-quality materials.—Layla Ilchi, WWD, 13 June 2024
Adjective
Beach Riot also debuted a full line of bridal swimwear full of chic white styles.—Andrea Navarro, Glamour, 21 June 2024 And unlike ready-to-wear, the brand’s bridal segment is not subject to discounting.—Yola Mzizi, CNN, 21 June 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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