pudency
- noun
- /ˈpjuːdənsi/
- Formal
:
modestia
- Despite her fame, she maintained a sense of pudency, always acting gracefully in public.
Examples
-
"Of another image, he wrote, "It is a common fact that their pudency is as highly developed as their sense of morality, nudity in some ways being esteemed... these natives have not the slightest intention to offend."
Academic text (1991) -
"Pudic," from the Latin pudere, "to be ashamed," does not translate; in English, the closest derivative is "pudency," meaning "modesty."
Academic text (2001) -
Her pudency prevented her from wearing revealing clothes, as she preferred modest attire.
-
In their culture, pudency is valued, and discussions about sexuality are often avoided.
Synonyms
27
3.5
Not being proud or bragging about your abilities
1
3.9
Being shy and easily embarrassed around other people
A shy, modest way of behaving that shows being quiet and polite
Being humble and not showing pride in yourself
Being modest and not showing off
Quiet behaviour that does not show feelings or thoughts openly
Antonyms
How Modest
Surface Forms
Morphology
pudency = pud + ency
The noun-final suffix -ency is recognizable, but the root 'pud' is a Latin combining form (not a standalone English word), so the composition is not helpful for typical learners to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Pudency comes from an old Latin word pudere, meaning 'to be ashamed'. You can see the same root in impudent ('not ashamed'), so pudency means being modest or shy about the body or sexual things.