A prude is a person with a very sensitive attitude and narrowness towards custom and morality. The word prude comes from the Old French word prudefemme also prodefemme meaning loyal, respectable or modest woman, which was the source of prude in the 18th century. According to Pierer's Universal Lexikon in 1861, prudery is "modest in an exaggerated and affected way; seeming delicate, squeamish". In a broader sense, prudery refers to an attitude of mind that aims to largely exclude sexual expressions of any kind in public and sometimes also in the private sphere. This applies above all to the portrayal or even suggestion of eroticism in tone and image form, fashion, mass media, literature, historical testimonies, and conversation.