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Glite Dictionary
bridal gown

bridal gown

2 2.8
A long formal dress a bride wears at her wedding
  • noun
  • /ˈbraɪdəl ɡaʊn/
translation icon : vestido de novia
  • She wore a stunning bridal gown that took months to design for her wedding.
  • dressed in her bridal gown
  • Bride in her bridal gown
  • white bridal gown

Wow, there is nothing nicer than a woman dressed in a bridal gown and a potty mouth for my first guest, Rachel and her mother Jeannie.

Examples

  • AIRPORT - NIGHT Faith, still in her bridal gown, is waiting impatiently at the TWA terminal entrance.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Find someone to do alterations on a bridal gown (any leads on someone in Titusville?)

    Blog text (15)

  • I would see her in her bridal gown.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • In fact, I think one of the biggest risks you took was turning the traditional white bridal gown into pink, yellow, green, even black.

  • Quite well off. "I really love my bridal gown," Lena said to Yael.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • At the other end of the house, a young woman in a bridal gown wailed and broke free from the man who had been trying to embrace her.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • At 257 pounds, Susan knew that she was overweight, but it took seeing a photo of herself in a tight bridal gown to jolt her into action.

    Academic text (2014)

  • And they lovingly decorate each of us with bridal gowns: there is so much love in the women's touch that it's as if they were dressing themselves for their own weddings.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The boutique offered a variety of luxurious bridal gowns for the upcoming wedding season.

  • Every bride dreams of finding the perfect bridal gown for her special day.

Synonyms

wedding dress
vsbridal gown
62 1.0

A long formal gown worn by a bride at her wedding

is the stylistic alternative with identical meaning but different phrasing
wedding gown
vsbridal gown
16 1.8

A formal white or cream dress a bride wears at her wedding

is defined only by length and formality rather than color or decoration

How Formal

morning dress
  • UK
8.2
bridal gown
2 2.8
evening gown
12 2.7
sundress
9 2.5

Surface Forms

bridal gown singular
bridal gowns plural

Morphology

bridal + gown

The meaning is directly compositional: 'bridal' (relating to a bride) modifies 'gown' (a long formal dress), so the phrase denotes a dress worn by a bride. This clear adjective+noun structure is common across languages and follows standard English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Bridal gown comes from two simple words: bridal, which is about the 'bride', and gown, which means a long, formal dress. Long ago, people used the word 'gown' for a special long dress and added bridal to show it was for the bride. That's why bridal gown today means the long, formal dress a bride wears at her wedding.