Origin and history of naive

naive(adj.)

1650s, "natural, simple, unsophisticated, artless," from French naïve, fem. of naïf, from Old French naif "naive, natural, genuine; just born; foolish, innocent; unspoiled, unworked" (13c.), from Latin nativus "not artificial," also "native, rustic," literally "born, innate, natural" (see native (adj.)). In philosophy by 1871 with reference to Schiller, and by 1855 in translations of him, who used naive (with reflective) in German in his theory of poetry. Related: Naively.

Yet just such an error is made by writers who apply indiscriminately the French feminine adjectives naïve and petite to "man" or "men," "woman" or "women." With naïve this error is almost universal though not quite .... [William B. Hodgson, "Errors in the Use of English," 1893]

Dryden, in "Marriage a-la-Mode" (1673) has naive, naiveté among the stock of French words Philotis brings Melantha to enrich her conversation. Also among them are foible, chagrin, gallant, the special sense of figure, etc.

Phil. Figure: As, what a figure of a man is there! Naive and naiveté.

Mel. Naive! as how?

Phil. Speaking of a thing that was naturally said, it was so naive; or such an innocent piece of simplicity, 'twas such a naiveté.

also from 1650s

Entries linking to naive

native(adj.)

late 14c., natif, "natural, inborn, hereditary, connected with something in a natural way," from Old French natif "native, born in; raw, unspoiled" (14c.) and directly from Latin nativus "innate, produced by birth," from natus, past participle of nasci (Old Latin gnasci) "be born," related to gignere "beget," from PIE root *gene- "give birth, beget," with derivatives referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups.

From early 15c. as "born in a particular place, of indigenous origin or growth, not exotic or foreign," also "of or pertaining to one by birth" (as in native land). Also used from early 15c. in a now-obsolete sense of "bound; born in servitude or serfdom." Of metals, minerals, etc., "occurring in a pure state in nature," 1690s.

Native American in reference to the aboriginal peoples of the Americas is attested by c. 1900 as the name of a journal "devoted to Indian education."

In the early 1970s, ... activist Indians began calling themselves Native Americans (from the peyote-using Native American Church, incorporated in 1918 in Oklahoma and subsequently in other states). The newer term, aside from disassociating its users from the reservation life of the past, was a form of one-upsmanship, since it reminded whites just who was on the premises first. [Hugh Rawson, "Wicked Words"]

naif(adj.)

"ingenuous, artless, natural," 1590s, from French naïf, literally "naive" (see naive). The masculine form of the French word, but used in English without reference to gender. As a noun, "natural, artless, naive person," first attested 1893, from French, where Old French naif also meant "native inhabitant; simpleton, natural fool."

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