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.
例文
1. On the first day of an American history class Prude University.
インディアナ州のシラフ市波督大学で、私が受けた最初のアメリカ歴史の授業の日。
2.Don 't be such a prude you can carry modesty too far！
そんなに堅苦しくしないで――あなたは謙虚すぎます。
3.She 's dreary little prude .
彼女は堅苦しくてまじめな女だ！
4.She is such a prude that she is even embarrased by the sight of naked children.
彼女はまじめに格を得て、裸の子供を見ても恥ずかしいほどだった。
5.She was such a prude that she was even embarrased by the sight of naked children.