matrimonial

Etymology

It is borrowed from Anglo-Norman matrimoniail and Middle French matrimonial,^[2][3][4] and partly borrowed from Latin mātrimōniālis (“of or relating to marriage”),^[2][3][5][6] which Etymonline calls Late Latin.^[3] The Anglo-Norman adjective is recorded from 1360–79.^[7] The Latin is formed from mātrimōnium (“marriage, wedlock”), the source of matrimony, and -ālis.^[2][3] Compare Italian matrimoniale (before 1292), Spanish matrimonial (1438) and Portuguese matrimonial (15th century).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or relating to marriage: 1449, in J. Metham's Amoryus and Cleopes, in the phrase be lawe matrimonyal, by the law of marriage.^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

The Middle English Dictionary also records tables matrimonial, marriage agreements, from about 1450.^[8] A noun matrimonial, a marriage or wedding, is found once, before 1500, and is obsolete;^[2][8][3] a plural noun returned in the 20th century for marriage celebrations, for marital lawsuits in American law (1970), and in Indian English for newspaper advertisements seeking a marriage partner (1989).^[2] From 1558 the adjective was used in Scotland of a right held through marriage, as in crown matrimonial, now a historical term;^[2] from 1735, in Swift, it was used of things that incline towards or encourage marriage, now rare.^[2] Johnson (1755) defined it as "suitable to marriage; pertaining to marriage; connubial; nuptial; hymeneal".^[9] In late 19th-century slang a matrimonial was sexual intercourse in the missionary position.^[10]

Timeline

• 1449 – of or relating to marriage.^[2][8]
• before 1500 – noun, a marriage or wedding (obsolete).^[2]
• 1558 – deriving from marriage, as in crown matrimonial.^[2]
• 1735 – inclining towards or encouraging marriage.^[2]
• 1970 – plural noun, matrimonial lawsuits (US law).^[2]
• 1989 – plural noun, marriage advertisements (chiefly Indian English).^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of or relating to marriage or married life; marital, conjugal: the matrimonial home.^[11][5][2]
2. Obtained through marriage, as in crown matrimonial (historical).^[2][6]

Noun

1. In the plural, wedding celebrations, or matrimonial matters.^[2]
2. In the plural, chiefly in Indian English, newspaper advertisements placed to find a marriage partner.^[2]
3. (obsolete, before 1500) A marriage or wedding.^[2][8]

Word family

• matrimonially
• nonmatrimonial
• prematrimonial
• unmatrimonial

Related words

• matrimony

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
8. ^ a b c d e Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
9. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
10. ^ Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
11. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins