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nup·tial

(nŭpshəl, -chəl)

adj.

1. Of or relating to marriage or the wedding ceremony.

2. Of, relating to, or occurring during the mating season: the nuptial plumage of male birds.

n. often nuptials

A wedding ceremony.

[Middle English nupcialle, from Old French nuptial, from Latin nūptiālis, from nūptiae, wedding, from nūpta, feminine past participle of nūbere, to take a husband.]

nuptial·ly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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