Crude
/kruːd/noun
In a raw, rough, or unfinished state; lacking refinement.
Did you know?Crude entered English through French and Latin, where it originally meant something left in its natural, unprocessed state—not a moral insult, just the opposite of refined.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kreu-
“to swell, be raw, or form a crust”
Latin
Latin
crudus
“raw, bloody, unripe, uncooked”
Old French
Old French
cru
“raw, uncooked, rough”
Middle English
English
crude
“raw, unprepared, rude”
Modern English
English
crude
“roughly made, unrefined, or vulgar”