Definition of Nubile

Question

What would the definition of nubile in a death record of an 84 year old woman? The record is in French and the only definition is a young woman of marriage age. So is it just a way of saying she never married?

Answer 1

The google translation of nubile from French to English yields the word - marriageable. Thus, I think you conclusion is valid. She was someone who never married.

Answer 2

Your theory seems likely.

I think "nubile" is a more appealing way to describe a  young unmarried woman than "spinster," which appears in some marriage records I've seen. But "spinster" would make more sense for an elderly woman.

Comments

While "Spinster" has come to mean an older, unmarried woman, it actually used to mean a woman who spun (on a spinning wheel), and this was typically the occupation of younger, unmarried women.

See, among other places: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/spinster-meaning-origin

Edited to add: this was posted by a married spinster, who could now be said to be "older" if not yet "elderly."