Word Confusion: Bridal versus Bridle

Posted June 6, 2019 by kddidit in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of 17 April 2021

I can understand why writers may confuse bridal with bridleif they only consider the cartoonish consideration of the groom wanting to bridle his bride and vice versa with the bride wanting to bridle her groom.

When it comes to everyday use however, the bridal will always refer to weddings and all things wedding-related while bridle refers to either an object that controls movement or a negative emotion.

Word Confusions…

…started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.

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Bridal Bridle
Credit to: Apple Dictionary.com; Dictionary.com: bridal and bridle; Oxford Dictionaries: bridle

Painting depicts one of the most important social and political events of old Russia, a wedding uniting two families of the powerful boyar class that dominated Muscovite politics in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in an oil on canvas.

A Boyar Wedding Feast, 1883, is an oil on canvas by Konstantin Makovsky and in the public domain courtesy of the Google Cultural Institute, via Wikimedia Commons.

Ahhh, the bridal feast.


Profile of a horse's head wearing a bridle

Bridle on the Beautiful Brown Horse by Ihtar is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay.

Close-up of a bridle.

Part of Grammar:
Adjective; Noun
Plural for noun: bridals
Noun 1;
Verb, intransitive 2 & transitive 1

Plural for the noun and third person present verb: bridles
Past tense or past participle: bridled
Gerund or present participle: bridling

Adjective:
Of, for, or concerning a bride or a wedding

  • Of a woman about to be married

Nuptial

Noun:
A wedding

A marriage ceremony

[Archaic] A wedding feast

Noun:
Part of the tack or harness of a horse, consisting usually of a headstall, bit, and reins

  • A line, rope, or device that is used to restrain or control the action or movement of something
  • [Nautical] A Y-shaped length of rope, chain, or cable fastened at both ends to an object that is to be secured or moved or to a vessel that is to do the towing, a pull being exerted at the center of its length

[Machinery] A link, flange, or other attachment for limiting the movement of any part of a machine

A raising up of the head, as in disdain

Verb, intransitive:
[Often followed by at] Show one’s resentment or anger, especially by throwing up the head and drawing in the chin

[Of a horse] To respond correctly to the pull of the reins

Verb, transitive:
[Usually be bridled] Put a bridle on a horse

  • Bring (something) under control
  • To control or hold back
  • Restrain
  • Curb
Examples:
Adjective:
She doesn’t want the white bridal gown.

The bridal party came out into the church porch.

I wondered if your hotel had a bridal suite?

Has Jenny set up a bridal registry yet?

That bridal wreath bush is so amazing when it’s in flower.

Noun:
We have thirty-two bridals scheduled for June already.

When is your bridal?

Their bridal will be conducted in the family chapel.

Noun:
Each horse had two saddles and bridles each, one set for English and one for western.

The dream of every cattle farmer in Namibia: to get that coloured rosette on the bull’s bridle.

My first mate retrieved our towing bridle from a locker while Jeff flaked out our anchor line.

The entry bridle roll set-up allows the operator to quickly thread the material as well as give accurate tension read-outs to the operator.

His common sense is a bridle to his quick temper.

Verb, intransitive:
Ranchers have bridled at excessive federal control.

“I was totally confused by it,” she says, bridling at the memory.

Mexico’s tequila makers bridled at its touting of Tequiza’s tequila base, claiming it was misleading.

Almost alone among them, Morrissey bridled at the credit he got.

Verb, transitive:
Bridle Cheeky Boy, Hank.

I’m the only one who can saddle or bridle him without trouble.

The fact that he was their servant bridled his tongue.

Someone please bridle this infamous brute, before it is too late!

Phyllis was motivated by vindictiveness; others bridled and saddled men for profit.

Derivatives:
Adjective: prebridal
Adverb: bridally
Adjective: bridleless, unbridled
Noun: bridler
Verb: unbridle
Phrasal Verb
off the bridle
on the bridle
History of the Word:
From Old English brȳdealu meaning wedding feast, from brȳd (bride) + ealu (ale), i.e., ale-drinking; now taken as bride + -al.

Middle English bridale meaning wedding feast.

Since the late 16th century (Early Modern English), the word has been associated with adjectives ending in -al.

By the 18th century, bridal was perceived primarily as an adjective.

  1. Old English brīdel (noun), brīdlian (verb) are of Germanic origin related to the Dutch breidel (noun).
  2. Use is from the action of a horse when reined in.

C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan…which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them…and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions by exploring the index. You may also want to explore Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, and/or the Properly Punctuated.

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Pinterest Photo Credits:

Friendship in White is under the CC0 license, via Max Pixel.

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