nubile

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French nubile, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin nubilis (“marriageable”), from nūbō (“marry, to take as husband”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European *snewbʰ- (“to marry, to wed”). Possibly cognate with Ancient Greek νύμφη (númphē, “bride, young wife, nymph”) (English nymph), but this is disputed.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnubaɪl/
• IPA^(key): /ˈnjuːbaɪl/
• Rhymes: -aɪl

Adjective

nubile (comparative more nubile, superlative most nubile)

1. Of an age suitable for marriage; marriageable (principally of a young woman).
2. Sexually attractive (especially of a young woman).

Usage notes

For a man, especially a young man, eligible is sometimes used as the corresponding term in the sense ‘marriageable’, particularly in the phrase eligible bachelor.

Synonyms

• (marriageable): eligible, marriageable, wifeable
• (sexually attractive): foxy; see also Thesaurus:sexy

Derived terms

• nubility

Related terms

• connubial
• nuptial, nuptials

Translations

marriageable

• Catalan: núbil
• Dutch: huwbaar (nl)
• Finnish: naimaikäinen
• French: nubile (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: nubile (it)
• Manx: yn-phoosey
• Portuguese: núbil (pt)
• Spanish: núbil (es)

Noun

nubile (plural nubiles)

1. A young sexually attractive woman.

Anagrams

• beluin, unible

---

French

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin nubilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ny.bil/

Adjective

nubile (plural nubiles)

1. nubile

Further reading

• “nubile”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

---

Italian

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin nubilis.

Adjective

1. unmarried

Noun

nubile f (plural nubili)

1. unmarried woman
2. spinster

Related terms

• nubilato

See also

• celibe

---

Latin

Adjective

(deprecated template usage) nūbile

1. vocative masculine singular of nūbilus