prude

From French prude, from Old French prude, prode, feminine of prou, prod, prud (“good, excellent, brave”), from Latin. Related to proud but unrelated to prudent.

• enPR: pro͞od, IPA^(key): /pɹuːd/
• Rhymes: -uːd

prude (plural prudes)

1. A person who is or tries to be excessively proper, especially one who is easily offended by matters of a sexual nature.
   • 1991, Robert M. Pirsig, Lila:

     If you didn't go for Lila you're some kind of prissy old prude. If you did go for her you were some kind of dirty old man.

• prig
• goody-goody
• puritan
• celibacist
• erotophobe
• antisexualist

• prudery
• prudish

• proud

• prude in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• prude in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

prude (comparative more prude, superlative most prude)

1. Prudish.

• Dupre, drupe, duper, perdu, pured, red up, red-up

prude

1. third-person singular present indicative of prudere

• drupe

prude

1. feminine singular of pruz