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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
Marci Robin, Allure, 27 Sep. 2025
Her new 6,500-square-foot flagship, opened this year, builds on that foundation with limited-edition collections, bridal wear, and tableware.
—Siobhan Reid, Travel + Leisure, 14 Sep. 2025
Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Indeed, this has been a long time coming for Floresca, who built a business as an eveningwear and bridal designer.
—James Factora, Them., 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bridal
Cite this Entry
“Bridal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bridal. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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