pudere

Pudere is a classical Latin verb meaning “to feel shame” or “to be ashamed.” It is principally used as an impersonal verb, expressing a sense of moral or social disapproval rather than a concrete action by a subject. In this construction the thing that causes the feeling is often presented by a genitive phrase or an infinitive clause, and the person who experiences the feeling is typically marked by a dative pronoun (mihi, tibi) or occasionally by a accusative pronoun in older usage. The related noun pudor denotes “shame” or “modesty.”

Etymology and related terms: Pudere derives from pudor, the Latin noun for shame or modesty. The semantic field includes notions of propriety, decency, and social conduct; the verb’s use reflects emotional reaction to actions or situations deemed inappropriate or dishonorable.

Conjugation and forms: Pudere is a defective, primarily impersonal verb. The common present form pudet (it shames), and the perfect form puduit (it shamed) are used in standard Latin prose. Imperfect and occasional future forms occur in various authors. The infinitive pudere is used to form periphrastic constructions, and the perfect infinitive pudisse appears in contexts referring to having caused shame. As an impersonal verb, pudere generally lacks a true passive or passive participle.

Usage notes: Pudere commonly appears in clauses that express moral assessment or embarrassment, such as “Mihi pudet dicere veritatem” (“I am ashamed to tell the truth”). Its mood and voice are constrained by its impersonal nature, and it is less about an agent performing an action and more about a speaker’s affected feeling or evaluation.

See also: pudor, modesty.