2647: Nubō as a (Generally) Female Verb Mar 17, 2022

The word 'nuptial' comes from a verb in Latin that denotes wedding but specifically refers to a woman taking a husband. For instance, the each spouse would use different verbs to describe the wedding, such as:

A woman saying "virō nūbō" (I marry a man)

A man would say "dūcō uxōrem" (I marry a woman), though typically 'dūcere' means 'to lead', and 'nubō' can also be related to veiling, as a woman would do at a wedding.

This dichotomy maybe influenced its descendants like 'nubile' to also be specifically feminine.

2646: nuptial Mar 16, 2022

The word nuptial meaning 'of wedding' has a fairly simple etymology, from the Latin 'nuptialis', literally 'of a wedding'. Beyond that, things are more complicated, since it is unclear the exact root, and what it would be related to, though it is probably from the Proto-Indo-European root *sneubh- meaning "to wed". An early theory put this as a cognate with the Latin 'obnubere' (to veil) from 'nubes' (cloud) but this has been rejected. It may also be related to the word 'nymph' (in Greek νύμφη) which means 'bride' or indeed the mythical nymph, but this is also not certain. It is definitely related to 'nubile; nubility', which denotes a marriageable woman.