Word of the Day

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

connubial

\kuh-NOO-bee-ul; -NYOO-\ , adjective;

Of or pertaining to marriage, or the marriage state; conjugal; nuptial.

Read the full entry|See synonyms|Comment on today's word|Suggest tomorrow's word

Quotes:

Wed as teenagers in Chicago, my parents' connubial collaboration had a second result: me and, seven years after my birth, a spectacularly beautiful sequel, my sister, Marcia.

-- Larry Gelbart, Laughing Matters

Given Tina's dismissive attitude toward marriage and the tumult ofher relationships with men, it would also be fascinating to know more thanwe do about the emotional texture and tone of her parents' thirty years of connubial life.

-- Patricia Albers, Shadows, Fire, Snow

But no such happy marriage could now teach the admiring multitude what connubial felicity really was.

-- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Origin:

Connubial comes from Latin conubialis, from conubium, "marriage, intermarriage," from con-, "with, together" + nubere, "to veil, to marry." It is related to nubile, "of an age suitable for marriage; hence, sexually mature and attractive."