unclothedadj.
/(ˌ)ʌnˈkləʊðd/, /(ˌ)ʌŋˈkləʊðd/, U.S. /ˌənˈkloʊðd/ (In sense 2 usually)Brit. /(ˌ)ʌnˈklɒθt/, /(ˌ)ʌŋˈklɒθt/, /(ˌ)ʌnˈklɔːθt/, /(ˌ)ʌŋˈklɔːθt/, U.S. /ˌənˈklɔθt/, /ˌənˈklɑθt/ 1.
a. Not covered or protected; exposed; (of land, fields, etc.) not covered with vegetation, bare. Also: undisguised; unconcealed.Frequently in figurative contexts with allusion to sense 1b.
ΚΠ
c1390 Swete Ihesu Now (Vernon) l. 329 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 20 Ihesu, my soule preyeþ þe, Let hit nouȝt vncloþed [v.r. vn-cloþud] be; Cloþe hit wiþ þi loue fre.
a1425 (?a1400) Bk. Priue Counseling in P. Hodgson Cloud of Unknowing (1944) 142 (MED) It suffisiþ now vnto þee..for to offre up þi nakid beyng.., in contynowel sacrifize of preising of God.., vncloþid with eny qualite or special beholdyng.
1581 T. Howell His Deuises sig. D.ijv I sawe the naked Fields vnclothde on euery side.
1650 I. Penington Eccho from Great Deep 48 His very spirit is unclothed, he hath nothing to cover, support or refresh himself even there.
?a1656 J. Poole Eng. Parnassus (1657) 212 Truth. Naked, unclothed, simple, undisguized.
1788 Celebrated Speech R. B. Sheridan 33 All the horrors of the scene—of plains uncloathed and brown—of vegetation burnt up.
1835 H. T. Tuckerman Ital. Sketch Bk. 211 Rugged mountains,..unclothed with aught umbrageous.
1855 D. T. Ansted in Orr's Circle Sci.: Inorg. Nature 85 The unclothed jaws—covered with hard enamel instead of skin—are lined with a double row of teeth.
1964 E. Salisbury Weeds & Aliens (ed. 2) iii. 60 The unclothed cuttings and embankments of the new roads.
2006 Polity 38 17 On both sides we see..identities engaged in the politics of sovereign power unclothed in the garb of the politics of recognition.
b. Not clothed; not wearing, covered by, or provided with clothing; naked; bare. Formerly also: †wearing only undergarments (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > nakedness or state of being unclothed > [adjective]
nakedOE
bareOE
start nakedc1225
nakec1300
unarrayedc1380
clothelessc1386
mother-nakedc1390
stark nakedc1390
bareda1400
naked as a needlec1400
unattiredc1400
uncladc1400
uncoveredc1400
loose1423
unclothedc1440
belly-nakeda1500
naked as one's nail1563
unabuilyeit1568
sindonlessc1595
leathern1596
disarrayed1611
undressed1613
debaredc1620
unapparelled1622
unaccoutred?1750
stark1762
disrobed1794
ungarmented1798
undraped1814
au naturel1828
nude1830
skyclad1832
garbless1838
kitless1846
spar-naked1849
raimentless1852
undoffed1854
togless1857
garmentless1866
naked as a robin1866
clothesless1868
sky clothed1878
nakedized1885
altogether1896
buck naked1913
raw1916
bollock naked1922
starkers1923
starko1923
stitchless1927
naked as a jaybird1931
bollock1950
rollock naked1962
nekkid1977
kit-off1992
c1440 S. Scrope tr. C. de Pisan Epist. of Othea (St. John's Cambr.) (1970) 100 Whan she of þe fayrie sawe him uncloþid [c1450 Longleat onclothyd] & al nakid, she went in to him & for greet loue took þat yong þing in hir armys.
a1475 J. Shirley Death James (BL Add. 5467) in Miscellanea Scotica (1818) II. 15 The Kyng..stondyng in his nyght gowne, all unclothid save his shirt, his cape, [etc.].
1550 T. Sampson tr. St. J. Chrysostom Serm. sig. B.iv We shal stand vpnaked, & vnclothed, to be broughte before his iudgement seate.
1585 J. Sharrock tr. C. Ocland Valiant Actes & Victorious Battailes Eng. Nation i. sig. F3 The king euen as he was, vnclothd, his liuely corps doth take, Out of his bed, on bended knees, and thus doth prayer make.
1602 O. St. John Let. 8 Mar. in F. Moryson Itinerary (1617) ii. ii. ii. 204 Then will the souldier be vnclothed, which rather then he will indure, he will runne away.
1616 G. Markham tr. C. Estienne et al. Maison Rustique (rev. ed.) i. xxviii. 128 Vpon his necke, and other outward parts which are vnclothed.
1709 T. Gwin Faithful & Loving Warning 12 They must apper Naked and Unclothed before his Just Tribunal.
1764 J. Reid Let. 26 July in S. K. Stevens & D. H. Kent Papers Henry Bouquet Series 21650 Pt. II (1943) 45 The Pensilvanians are still unclothed, and their Camp Kettles not arrived.
1816 Ld. Byron Siege of Corinth xxvi. 43 Their leader's nervous arm is bare,..Unclothed to the shoulder it waves them on.
1888 Liverpool Mercury 7 Mar. 8/10 The woman McCarthy had been cautioned against leaving the workhouse with her child in an unclothed state.
1923 Daily Mail 12 Mar. 9 Stink-bombs and rubber rods were used last night..in protest against the performance of an unclothed dancer.
1973 E. Caldwell Annette (1974) i. ii. 11 Doan was boldly looking her up and down..as if making an expert appraisal of her body completely unclothed.
2006 Up Here (Yellowknife, N.W. Territories) July 56/1 The foremost concern of unclothed trekkers is running into non-nude hikers.
2. Not covered with a cloth or other covering.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > uncovering > [adjective] > not covered by a cloth
unclothed1585
1585 C. Clifford Schoole of Horsmanship f. 85 I..found my horse vnclothed.
1593 G. Markham Disc. Horsmanshippe iii. sig. G2v You shall let your horse stande in the stable vnclothed.
a1833 W. Sotheby tr. Homer Odyssey xvi, in tr. Homer Iliad & Odyssey (1834) IV. 83 The spiders o'er the unclothed bed Of lost Ulysses their thick webs outspread.
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. II. ix. 93 [The table] still stands in its simple dignity, an unclothed platform of boards.
1920 C. Van Vechten In Garret 88 The farm hands come in and eat from the heavily laden unclothed table.
2016 Bristol Post (Nexis) 5 Feb. 15 It's a large, no-frills restaurant with low lighting, unclothed tables and a simple Chinese mural on one wall.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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adj.c1390