Prude Was Once a Compliment
A prude is someone easily shocked by anything sexual. The French phrase behind it meant a good and virtuous woman.
A prude is someone easily shocked by matters of sex or nudity. The word began as praise and soured: French *prudefemme* meant a good, honourable woman, formed on *prud'homme*, a wise and worthy man. English clipped the phrase and turned the compliment into a mild insult by the 1700s. The change is not accidental — words for female virtue have a long habit of decaying, as *spinster*, *madam* and *mistress* all show.
- One easily shocked. *Don't be a prude.*
- Prudish — the adjective. *Prudish attitudes.*
- Prudery — the behaviour. *Victorian prudery.*
- Prud'homme — a worthy man. *Prud'homme.*
- Old French — *prud*, worthy. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | prude | A prude. |
| Plural | prudes | Prudes. |
| Adjective | prudish | Prudish. |
| Noun | prudery | Prudery. |
| French | prudefemme | A worthy woman. |
- He was called a prude for objecting.Insult.
- A prudish silence followed.Adjective.
- The French phrase meant worthy woman.Etymology.
Words for women that soured
- Prude — from a term of praise for virtue
- Spinster — once simply a woman who spun thread
- Mistress — the female counterpart of master, then a lover
- Madam — a polite address, then a brothel keeper
- Hussy — a worn-down form of *housewife*
French *prude*, shortened from *prudefemme*, a good woman, from Old French *prud*, worthy, and *femme*, woman.
Did prude always mean easily shocked?
No. It began as a shortening of a French phrase meaning a good and honourable woman, and only became critical in the 1700s.
Is prudent related?
Not directly. Prudent comes from Latin providens, foreseeing, a separate word despite the similar look.