Adjacent Words

Prude definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PRUDE, n. [Gr. prudence.] A woman of great reserve, coyness, affected stiffness of manners and scrupulous nicety.
Less modest than the speech of prudes.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum [syn: prude, puritan]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: French, good woman, prudish woman, short for prudefemme good woman, from Old French prode femme Date: 1704 a person who is excessively or priggishly attentive to propriety or decorum; especially a woman who shows or affects extreme modesty

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. a person having or affecting an attitude of extreme propriety or modesty esp. in sexual matters. Derivatives: prudery n. (pl. -ies). prudish adj. prudishly adv. prudishness n. Etymology: F, back form. f. prudefemme fem. of prud'homme good man and true f. prou worthy

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Prude Prude, n. [F., prudish, originally, discreet, modest; shortened from OF. prudefeme, preudefeme, a discreet or excellent woman; OF. preu, prou, excellent, brave + de of + fete woman. See Prow, a., Prowess.] A woman of affected modesty, reserve, or coyness; one who is overscrupulous or sensitive; one who affects extraordinary prudence in conduct and speech. Less modest than the speech of prudes. --Swift.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(prudes) If you call someone a prude, you mean that they are too easily shocked by things relating to sex. N-COUNT [disapproval]

Foolish Dictionary

A native of Boston.