Association of British Scrabble Players

Culture > Custom > Courtship & Marriage


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


agacerie (Fr.) an allurement, coquetry.
amorousness the quality of being amorous.
amourette (Fr.) a brief or unimportant love affair.
bedright (Shakesp.) the privilege or due of the marriage bed.
bedrite the privilege or due of the marriage-bed.
betroth to engage to marry.
bridal related to brides (noun) a wedding
bridally (Adv.) BRIDAL, related to brides.
bride a woman about to be married or newly married; (verb) to act the bride.
bridemaid a bridesmaid.
bridewealth in tribal societies, etc, a price paid (usu in kind) to a bride's family by the bridegroom.
broose (Scots) a race at a wedding.
brouze (Scott) a race at a wedding.
concubinage the cohabitation of persons not legally married.
concubitancy a custom by which marriage between certain persons is obligatory.
confarreate relating to confarreation.
confarreation a Roman patrician mode of marriage, in which a spelt cake was offered up.
coquet (Fr.) to flirt, to dally.
coquetry a flirtatious act or attitude.
coquettish practicing or exhibiting coquetry; alluring.
coquettishly (Adv.) COQUETTISH, practicing or exhibiting coquetry.
coquettishness the state of being coquettish.
corinthianise (Arch.) to be licentious.
corinthianize (Arch.) to be licentious.
courtship the act of wooing a woman in order to persuade her to become one's wife.
dalliance flirtation.
espousal a marriage ceremony.
fiancailles (Fr.) betrothal.
flirt one who flirts (verb) to behave amorously without serious intent
flirtation the act of flirting.
flirtatious given to flirting.
flirtatiously (Adv.) FLIRTATIOUS, given to flirting.
flirtatiousness the state of being flirtatious.
flirter one who flirts.
flirting the act of flirting.
flirtingly (Adv.) FLIRTING.
flirtish (Obs.) given to flirting.
flirty flirtatious.
footsie flirtation involving the touching together of feet.
footsy flirtation involving the touching together of feet.
gallant brave (noun) a dashing, debonair young man; (verb) to pay court to or flirt with (a woman); esp attend or act as an escort to (a woman)
handfast a betrothal; (verb, arch.) to betroth.
honeymonth (Obs.) honeymoon; (verb) to spend one's honeymoon.
honeymoon the first weeks after marriage, commonly spent on holiday; (verb) to go on honeymoon.
infare a housewarming after a wedding.
inmarriage endogamy.
kneesies the flirtatious touching of knees under the table.
lobola (Nguni) an African custom whereby the bridegroom's family makes a payment in cattle or cash to the bride's family before marriage.
lobolo (Nguni) an African custom whereby the bridegroom's family makes a payment in cattle or cash to the bride's family before marriage.
minauderie (Fr.) coquetry.
monogamist one who practices or upholds monogamy.
monogamous relating to monogamy.
monogamously (Adv.) MONOGAMOUS, relating to monogamy.
monogamy marriage with one person at a time.
nikah in Islamic marriage, the contract between bride and bridegroom.
nuptial relating to weddings (noun) a wedding ceremony
nuptially (Adv.) NUPTIAL, relating to a wedding.
outmarriage marriage outside the social group.
patrilocal designating a form of marriage in which the wife goes to live with the husband's group.
patrilocally (Adv.) PATRILOCAL, of a form of marriage in which the wife goes to live with the husband's group.
polygamise to practise polygamy.
polygamize to practise polygamy.
prenuptial an arrangement made or occurring before marriage.
romance a love affair; (verb) to woo.
sangeet (Hindi) a kind of pre-wedding party in a Hindi or Sikh marriage.
smirting flirting among those smoking outside a nonsmoking area.
smoocher one who smooches.
smoodge (Aust. sl.) to kiss closely.
smooge (Aust. sl.) to kiss closely.
spammie (Dial.) a lovebite.
sponsalia nuptials, marriage.
subarration an ancient form of betrothal in which pledges of money, rings, etc were given by the man to the woman.
subarrhation an ancient form of betrothal in which pledges of money, rings, etc were given by the man to the woman.
troth faith, fidelity; (verb, Shakesp.) to betroth.
trothplight (Arch.) betrothal; (verb) to betroth.
uncoquettish not coquettish.
wanton thoughtlessly cruel (noun) an immoral person; (verb) to behave in a wanton fashion
wantonly (Adv.) WANTON, thoughtlessly cruel.
womanise to pursue or engage in casual sexual encounters with women.
womaniser one who engages in casual sexual encounters with women.
womanize to pursue or engage in casual sexual encounters with women.
womanizer one who engages in casual sexual encounters with women.
woo to court; to seek the support of.
wooable capable of being wooed.
wooer one that woos.
wooingly (Adv.) WOOING. seductive.