nude
UK[njuːd]US[nuːd]
adj
not wearing any clothes
adj
of a pale pinkish-beige color
n
a painting, sculpture, or photograph of a person who is not wearing any clothes
n
the state of not wearing any clothes
Etymology
the english word "nude" entered the language in the late 16th century, directly from the latin adjective "nudus," meaning "bare, naked, unclothed." latin "nudus" itself is traced back to the proto-indo-european root nogw-, which also meant "naked." this ancient root is the source for a number of related words across indo-european languages, including ancient greek "gumnós" (naked) and old english "nacod," which evolved into modern english "naked." the semantic journey is remarkably direct, with the core meaning of "unclothed" remaining stable from its proto-indo-european ancestor through latin and into modern english. its specialized use in art to describe representations of the unclothed human form developed shortly after its adoption into english.
Analysis
the word is a simplex loanword from latin and cannot be meaningfully segmented into smaller morphemes based on its current english spelling.
Examples
the statue depicted a nude figure.
she prefers to sleep in the nude.
the artist is famous for his studies of nudes.