Nudity

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈnjudɪˌti/

Definitions

1. The condition of being without clothing encompasses both a natural state of exposure and its artistic portrayal in various forms of creative expression
2. This concept describes both the physical absence of garments on the body and how this state is depicted in artworks or performances
3. The state of a person or thing having no clothes on; the representation of this state in visual or performing arts

Etymology: "Nudity" is a plain English formation: the adjective "nude" with the suffix "-ity", which turns an adjective into a noun for a state or quality, as in "vanity" from "vain" or "sanity" from "sane." The adjective "nude" came into English from Latin "nudus," meaning "naked," and it reached English through French, where the Latin root stayed close to its original sense. The suffix itself comes from Latin "-itas" by way of French "-ité." The noun has a Latin ancestor of its own. Late Latin "nuditas" already meant the condition of being bare, so English "nudity" is best understood as a near-direct continuation of that older word, with the English suffix attached to the familiar adjective. The Latin noun was itself built from "nudus," which is why the two words share a clear family resemblance.

Synonyms: undress, bare, exposure

Antonyms: clothing, dress