Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
nubile — [ nybil ] adj. • 1509; lat. nubilis, de nubere « se marier » 1 ♦ Qui est en âge d être marié. ⇒ mariable. D après la loi française, les filles sont nubiles à quinze ans, et les garçons à dix huit. 2 ♦ Qui est formé, apte à la reproduction (se dit … Encyclopédie Universelle
Nubile — refers to a young woman who is ready or suitable for marriage by virtue of her age or maturity.[1] In recent times it has also been used to refer to a sexually attractive young woman.[2] Contents 1 Etymology 2 Related terms … Wikipedia
nubile — / nubile/ [dal lat. nubĭlis (in età) da marito ]. ■ agg. [di donna, che non ha contratto matrimonio: essere, restare n. ] ▶◀ single. ‖ celibe. ◀▶ coniugata, maritata, sposata. ■ s.f. [donna nubile] ▶◀ signorina, (spreg.) zitella, [spesso per una… … Enciclopedia Italiana
nubile — adj. de tout genre, Qui a atteint l âge de se marier. Il ne se dit guere que des filles. Cette fille est nubile. On appelle, Age nubile, L âge auquel les filles commencent d estre en estat de se marier … Dictionnaire de l'Académie française
Nubile — Nu bile, a. [L. nubilis, fr. nubere to marry: cf. F. nubile. See {Nuptial}.] Of an age suitable for marriage; marriageable. Prior. [1913 Webster] 2. Sexually attractive, sometimes used as a genteel euphemism for having well developed breasts; of… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
nubile — (adj.) 1640s, marriageable (said of a woman), from Fr. nubile (16c.) or directly from L. nubilis marriageable, from stem of nubere take as husband (see NUPTIAL (Cf. nuptial)). In sense of young and sexually attractive from 1973. Related: Nubility … Etymology dictionary
nubile — [no͞o′bəl, no͞o′bīl΄; nyo͞o′bəl, nyo͞o′bīl΄] adj. [Fr nubile < L nubilis < nubere, to veil oneself, marry < IE base * sneubh , to woo, marry > Gr nymphē, bride, nymph, Czech snoubiti, to woo] 1. marriageable: said of a young woman who … English World dictionary
nubile — The original Latin meaning of nubilis, ‘(of females) of an age suitable for marriage’, has given way in current usage to the meaning ‘sexually attractive’, making the earlier sense somewhat awkward to use, except with intentional ambiguity … Modern English usage
nubile — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ (of a girl or woman) youthful but sexually mature and attractive. DERIVATIVES nubility noun. ORIGIN from Latin nubilis marriageable … English terms dictionary
nubile — (nu bi l ) adj. Qui est devenu apte au mariage, en parlant des filles. • La grande peine où je me voi, C est d avoir cinq filles chez moi Dont la moins âgée est nubile ; Je dois les établir, je voudrais le pouvoir ; Mais à suivre Apollon on ne… … Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré
nubile — nù·bi·le agg. CO 1a. di donna, non sposata: ragazza nubile; anche s.f. 1b. relativo a donna non sposata: stato, condizione nubile 2. BU in età da marito 3. OB di periodo della vita, adatto a contrarre matrimonio: tempo, età nubile 4. LE di fiore … Dizionario italiano
