pudibund

English

Etymology

From Latin pudibundus, from pudeō (“make ashamed, be ashamed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpjuːdɪbʌnd/

Adjective

pudibund (comparative more pudibund, superlative most pudibund)

1. Shy, bashful; prudish.
   • 1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin 2011, p. 327:

     she lay back on the outer half of Ada's pillow in a martyr's pudibund swoon, her locks spreading their orange blaze against the black velvet of the padded headboard.