prude: [18] Old French prudefemme ‘virtuous woman’ meant literally ‘fine thing of a woman’. It was a lexicalization of the phrase *preu de femme, in which preu meant ‘fine, brave, virtuous’ (its variant prud gave English proud). In the 17th century it was shortened to prude (Molière is the first writer on record as using it), with distinctly negative connotations of ‘overvirtuousness’. It was borrowed into English at the beginning of the 18th century, and for a couple of hundred years continued to be used almost exclusively with reference to women. => proud
prude (n.)
1704, "woman who affects or upholds modesty in a degree considered excessive," from French prude "excessively prim or demure woman," first recorded in Molière. Perhaps a false back-formation or an ellipsis of preudefemme "a discreet, modest woman," from Old French prodefame "noblewoman, gentlewoman; wife, consort," fem. equivalent of prudhomme "a brave man" (see proud); or perhaps a direct noun use of the French adjective prude "prudish," from Old French prude, prode, preude "good, virtuous, modest," a feminine form of the adjective preux. Also occasionally as an adjective in English 18c.
双语例句
1. On the first day of an American history class Prude University.
在印地安那州的西拉法市波督大学,我上的第一节美国历史课那天.
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2. Don't be such a prude you can carry modesty too far!
别那麽拘谨——你谦虚得太过分了.
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3. She's dreary little prude.
她是个死板、假正经的女人!
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4. She is such a prude that she is even embarrassed by the sight of naked children.
她正经得出了格,甚至见了赤身露体的孩子也难为情.
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5. She was such a prude that she was even embarrassed by the sight of naked children.
