nudiste

Forms

nudiste (plural nudistes)^[1]

Etymology

It is a learned derivative from Latin nūdus (“naked”), formed with the suffix -iste.^[2][3][4][1] The DHLF counts it, with nudisme, among the words formed on the stem of the Latin adjective.^[5] The TLFi notes that English had nudist colony in 1929.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first sense was “painter of nudes”: in 1929 the critic Thérive cites it as a new and laughable coinage of an art critic, beside nature-mortier “painter of still lifes”.^[2] The Grand Robert dates the word to 1924, and the GLLF dates that sense to 1924 after the Robert.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The art sense remained rare and is now obsolete.^[2][5] The current sense, a person who practises nudism, is recorded in Larousse in 1932, the year of nudisme itself.^[2][5][4] The adjective follows at once: Céline has militaire nudiste in 1932 and Marcel Aymé camp nudiste in 1933.^[2][5]

Timeline

• 1924 – First record, as a noun meaning “painter of nudes”, according to the Grand Robert.^[3][4]
• 1929 – Thérive cites nudiste “painter of nudes” as a recent coinage.^[2]
• 1932 – Larousse records the sense “person who practises nudism”.^[2][4]
• 1932 – Céline uses it as an adjective in Voyage au bout de la nuit.^[2]
• 1933 – Camp nudiste appears in Marcel Aymé.^[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Relating to nudism: camp nudiste, a camp for nudists, as in Ils ont passé l'été sur une plage nudiste.^[2][6][7]
2. Practising or advocating nudism.^[2][7]

Noun

1. A nudist, a person who practises nudism; a naturiste: Le village de vacances accueille des nudistes.^[6][8][2]
2. (obsolete, rare) A painter of nudes.^[2][5]

Related words

• nu
• nudisme
• nudité
• Latin nūdus

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
8. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)