Postnuptial

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Concerning arrangements or obligations entered into after the marriage ceremony has occurred
2. Pertaining to agreements or discussions that take place subsequent to the wedding event
3. Relating to legal or financial agreements made following the wedding ceremony

Etymology: "Postnuptial" is a plain compound: "post-" meaning "after" joined to "nuptial," which comes from the Latin "nuptialis," relating to marriage. Put together, the word means exactly what it says, something that comes after the wedding. The prefix "post-" has a long pedigree, tracing back through Latin "post," meaning "after" or "behind," to a very old root meaning "after" that also gave English words like "posterior" and "postpone." Its use with "nuptial" follows the same pattern as "postdate" or "postgraduate," where the prefix simply marks a later point in time. The word's legal and financial sense is a matter of its usage rather than any separate origin: it is used for agreements such as a postnuptial contract, a document signed after the marriage has taken place, in contrast to the prenuptial agreement signed beforehand.