wedding

[wed-ing] /ˈwɛd ɪŋ/
noun
1.
the act or ceremony of marrying; marriage; nuptials.
2.
the anniversary of a marriage, or its celebration:
They invited guests to their silver wedding.
3.
the act or an instance of blending or joining, especially opposite or contrasting elements:
a perfect wedding of conservatism and liberalism.
4.
Business Slang. a merger.
adjective
5.
of or pertaining to a wedding:
the wedding ceremony; a wedding dress.
Origin
before 900; Middle English; Old English weddung. See wed, -ing1
Can be confused
marriage, wedding (see synonym study at marriage)
Synonym Study
1. See marriage.

wed

[wed] /wɛd/
verb (used with object), wedded or wed, wedding.
1.
to marry (another person) in a formal ceremony.
2.
to unite (a couple) in marriage or wedlock; marry.
3.
to bind by close or lasting ties; attach firmly:
She wedded herself to the cause of the poor.
4.
to blend together or unite inseparably:
a novel that weds style and content perfectly.
verb (used without object), wedded or wed, wedding.
5.
to contract marriage; marry.
6.
to become united or to blend:
a building that will wed with the landscape.
Origin
before 900; Middle English wedde, Old English weddian to pledge; cognate with German wetten to bet, Old Norse vethja to pledge
Related forms
interwed, verb (used without object), interwed or interwedded, interwedding.
rewed, verb, rewedded, rewedding.
unwed, adjective
Synonyms
4. combine, fuse, merge.
Examples from the web for wedding
  • Because of the bloodshed, this event became known as the red wedding.
  • She must marry the innocent man in a sanctified wedding before impregnating herself.
  • In the west, it is now customary to present the bride with a wedding ring.
  • After or during the wedding, ladies will do the same thing, but a much smaller affair.
  • A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage.
  • The ceremony and the ring exchange takes place on the first day of the wedding.
  • Some couples choose to serve a croquembouche instead of a wedding cake.
  • They start the party dancing blues and eating a piece of their wedding cake.
  • Or wedding of the weddings promote nonalcoholic wedding celebrations.
  • There is a wedding reception following the ceremony, usually at a different venue.
British Dictionary definitions for wedding

wedding

/ˈwɛdɪŋ/
noun
1.
  1. the act of marrying or the celebration of a marriage
  2. (as modifier): wedding day
2.
the anniversary of a marriage (in such combinations as silver wedding or diamond wedding)
3.
the combination or blending of two separate elements

wed

/wɛd/
verb weds, wedding, wedded, wed
1.
to take (a person of the opposite sex) as a husband or wife; marry
2.
(transitive) to join (two people) in matrimony
3.
(transitive) to unite closely
Word Origin
Old English weddian; related to Old Frisian weddia, Old Norse vethja, Gothic wadi pledge
Word Origin and History for wedding
n.

Old English weddung "state of being wed" (see wed). Meaning "ceremony of marriage" is recorded from c.1300; the usual Old English word for the ceremony was bridelope, literally "bridal run," in reference to conducting the bride to her new home. Wedding cake is recorded from 1640s; as a style of architecture, attested from 1879.

wed

v.

Old English weddian "to pledge, covenant to do something, marry," from Proto-Germanic *wadjojanan (cf. Old Norse veðja "to bet, wager," Old Frisian weddia "to promise," Gothic ga-wadjon "to betroth"), from PIE root *wadh- "to pledge, to redeem a pledge" (cf. Latin vas, genitive vadis "bail, security," Lithuanian vaduoti "to redeem a pledge"). Sense remained "pledge" in other Germanic languages (cf. German Wette "bet, wager"); development to "marry" is unique to English. "Originally 'make a woman one's wife by giving a pledge or earnest money', then used of either party" [Buck]. Related: Wedded; wedding.

Slang definitions & phrases for wedding

wedding

Related Terms

military marriage, shotgun wedding


Idioms and Phrases with wedding

wedding

see: shotgun wedding