Many words eventually go away from the active dictionary and gradually move into the category of obsolete vocabulary. It happened with the word nude. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was still actively used. Nowadays, not everyone knows its meaning. Let's deal with him.
What is nude?
The word nude - Slavonic (emphasis falls on the second syllable) means naked, naked, naked, not covered by clothing, undressed. Words with similar roots are in many languages of the Slavic group, as well as in German nackt, which means naked, without clothes. Some scholars associate its etymology with the ancient Indian word [nagas], meaning snake, elephant. Originally it meant "without wool." Not all language scholars hold this view; many consider this relationship dubious.
Not so simple
Selection of synonyms will help to clarify the meaning of the word nude. The synonymic dictionary offers the following options: naked, naked, not covered by clothes, such as is, not embellished, naked, uncovered.
This word is found both in Holy Scripture and in both direct and figurative meanings.
The word nude is an adjective of the masculine gender, the feminine gender is nude, the middle gender is nude. The short form of the adjective is naga (m. R), naga (f. R), nago (sr). The most commonly used form is the masculine, as well as synonyms naked, naked, undressed.
This word also has a figurative meaning. This word is often found in literature when describing nature and landscapes. Surely you have come across the expression “naked branches of trees”, “naked steppes”.
I love the wind between the naked hills
And a kite in the sky above. (M.Yu. Lermontov)
In this case, nude is leafless, deserted, devoid of vegetation.
Then went the boundless expanse of the naked plains with mounds and burial grounds ... (I. Bunin).
The word nude is used and in a slightly different meaning - just as it is, without embellishment: this is naked truth, naked truth, naked evidence.
A modern student, faced with the word “nude” in their homework, is likely to turn to the dictionary to find out its meaning. Perhaps, having drawn a parallel with the cognate noun “nudity”, it is possible to determine its value at the initial stage.
Words that are not used in everyday speech, quickly lose their relevance for the younger generation. Reading literature of the 18–19th century is hardly a favorite pastime of modern youth. The school curriculum is not designed to study most of the works of classical literature. It is more correct to say that it allows you to “skim the cream” from world or classical Russian literature. In the best case, this creates interest and instills good taste.
Let's look at the classics
In the literature, this word is found quite often, especially among the classics. In colloquial speech it is practically absent.
And suddenly ... as light as a night shadow,
as white as the early snow of the hills
woman comes out naked
and silently sat by the banks (A.S. Pushkin).
The stylistic connotation of the word nude is more elevated than the word naked, therefore, in poetry and prose, authors tend to use it.
Quite often, it is used by writers in the sense of a beggar, poor.
Great, I say, a virtue is to dress naked beggars. (T.N. Tereshchenko)
At N.A. Nekrasov in the poem "To whom it is good to live in Russia", even there is a character Yakim Nagoy - this is a bonded peasant. He is a beggar and always hungry. His surname is a bright artistic device, the meaning of the word naked is a symbol of the peasantry of that time.
At M.Yu. Lermontova, A.S. Pushkin, F.I. Tyutcheva, A.A. Fet and other poets of the golden age of Russian literature meets the word nude, both figuratively and literally. Most often, perhaps, in the description of nature.