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nuptialis

Etymology and origin of the Latin word nuptialis

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (nūbō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [nuːp.tiˈaː.lɪs], [nʊp.tiˈaː.lɪs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [nup.t͡siˈaː.lis][1]

Forms

nū̆ptiālis (neuter nū̆ptiāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1] Also spelled nubtiālis.[2]

Etymology

It is from nūptiae “wedding” with the suffix -ālis; ⟨nūptiae⟩ is from nūpta, participle of nūbō “to marry”.[2][1][3] De Vaan finds the origin of ⟨nūbō⟩ uncertain.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis & Short and Gaffiot cite Plautus' Casina, of wedding games.[5][6] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[7]

Semantic evolution

It meant of a marriage or wedding, nuptial, conjugal, as in Plautus' nūptiālis cēna “wedding feast”, Cicero and Horace.[2][5][6] Köbler records lēx nūptiālis, marriage.[7]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant nuptial, of a wedding, and British Medieval Latin used it also with reference to the wedding parable in Matthew and the wedding at Cana.[8][9] English nuptial (late 15th century) came from French or directly from Latin, and the plural English nuptials “wedding” in the 1550s.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[5][7]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.[6][7]
  • late 15th century – English nuptial is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of a wedding or marriage, nuptial, conjugal.[2][6]

Word family

  • antenuptialis
  • nuptālicius

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  9. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Nuptialis.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/nuptialis. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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