ETYM French, prudish, originally, discreet, modest; shortened from Old Fren. prudefeme, preudefeme, a discreet or excellent woman; Old Fren. preu, prou, excellent, brave + de of + fete woman. Related to Prow, Prowess.
A person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum; SYN. puritan. especially; a woman who shows or affects extreme modesty.
ETYM From Purity.
Adheres to strict religious principles; opposed to sensual pleasures.
From 1564, a member of the Church of England who wished to eliminate Roman Catholic survivals in church ritual, or substitute a presbyterian for an episcopal form of church government. The term also covers the separatists who withdrew from the church altogether.
The Puritans were characterized by a strong conviction of human sinfulness and the wrath of God and by a devotion to plain living and hard work. The Puritan immigrants who settled in New England in the 17th century, most of them Congregationalists and Presbyterians, had a profound, formative influence on American culture, political institutions, and education. See also Congregationalism.
1. Excessively strict in manners, morals, or opinion
2. Wearing or having a bodice or stays tightly laced