Naturism has a vocabulary, and most of it exists to describe a distinction that matters on the ground: where nudity is required, where it is optional, who owns the land, and how people are expected to behave. These are the terms you will meet in listings, forum posts and at the gate, defined the way long-time members use them.
The words for the thing itself
Naturism. Social, non-sexual nudity as a way of life. The International Naturist Federation's definition, adopted at its congress in Agde, France, on 5 August 1974, is the reference: a way of life in harmony with nature, characterized by the practice of communal nudity, with the intention of encouraging self-respect, respect for others and for the environment.
Nudism. The same thing, in the word Americans have used since the 1930s. Some writers draw a distinction (nudism as the practice, naturism as the philosophy) but in daily use the two are interchangeable, and this site uses both.
FKK. Freikörperkultur, "free body culture", the German term for naturism and the one you will see on signs across German-speaking Europe and the Adriatic. An FKK-Strand is a nude beach; an FKK campsite is a naturist campsite. Germany's naturist federation is the DFK.
Body acceptance. The attitude naturism aims at and, according to the research summarized in our guide to nudism and body image, measurably produces: comfort with one's own body as it is, built by spending time among unedited ordinary bodies.
Who is who
Textile, textilist. A person wearing clothes, or a place where clothes are worn. "Textile beach" means an ordinary beach; "the textile side" of a resort means the clothed area. Mostly British and European, mildly tongue-in-cheek, and avoided by some naturists who find it dismissive.
Gawker. Someone at a nude beach or club to look rather than take part: clothed, stationary, positioned with a view, sometimes with a camera. The most disliked figure in naturism and the reason the beach etiquette guide spends so long on where to point your eyes.
Regular. A member who has been going to a particular beach or club for years, knows the boundaries and the history, and will tell you both.
Single. In club admission policy, a visitor arriving without a partner. Policies on singles, especially single men, vary by club; see couples, singles and families.
Places and policies
Clothing-optional. Nudity is permitted but not required. Most public nude beaches and many US resorts are clothing-optional. Ask whether a venue is clothing-optional everywhere or only in part.
Nude-required, nude-only. Nudity is expected, weather permitting, usually at the pool, hot tub and beach of a resort, sometimes throughout. Many European naturist campsites and some US clubs are nude-required at the pool and clothing-optional elsewhere. Listings in the directory state which.
Nude when possible, clothed when practical. The common-sense rule at naturist venues: undress when the weather and setting allow, dress for cold, sun, sport, cooking and anywhere clothing is required. The French federation's version is that clothing is worn for protection or for sport, and otherwise nudity is respected as soon as conditions allow.
Landed club. A naturist club that owns or leases its own grounds: pool, lawn, clubhouse, often cabins and RV sites. Most of the venues in the club directory are landed clubs.
Non-landed club. A club without property. AANR defines it as a local group of nudists who get together socially without owning or operating their own property, and also calls them travel clubs; they meet at members' homes, rented pools and on trips to landed clubs and beaches. Our guide to finding nudists near you explains why they are the usual starting point.
Resort. A landed club or commercial venue with overnight accommodation and services. The line between a large club and a small resort is blurry; the resort directory lists both.
Free beach. The older term, from the 1970s free beach movement, for a public beach where nudity is legal or tolerated. Still used in Australia and by The Naturist Society.
Designated, official, tolerated, unofficial. The legal gradations of a nude beach. Designated or official means a government body has formally recognized the area. Tolerated or unofficial means nudity has been customary for years and authorities have chosen not to act. The difference matters when someone complains.
Textilfrei. German for textile-free: the sauna zone of a German or Dutch thermal spa, where swimwear is not allowed. See the sauna and spa guide.
Top-free, topfree, topless. Bare-chested, usually describing women at beaches or in cities where that is legal while full nudity is not. "Top-free" is the term advocates prefer because "topless" implies something is missing.
Nakation. A nude vacation. Used by AANR and the nude travel trade for any holiday spent at a naturist destination.
Behavior
The towel rule. Sit on your own towel on every shared surface: chairs, benches, pool edges, bar stools, gym equipment. Universal, written into every club's rules, and the first thing regulars notice a newcomer forgetting. Explained in full in the resort and club etiquette guide.
Non-sexual. The defining condition of naturism. Nudity at a naturist venue carries no sexual meaning, and behavior that gives it one, from staring to public displays of affection beyond hand-holding, gets people removed.
Open house, open day. A day when a landed club admits the public free or at a reduced rate, with staff on hand for first-timers. The easiest first visit there is; find them on the events calendar.
Orientation. The short talk and walk-through a club gives first-time visitors covering the towel rule, cameras, conduct and where nudity is required.
Organizations
AANR. The American Association for Nude Recreation, the US club federation founded in 1931 as the American Sunbathing Association and renamed in 1995, headquartered in Kissimmee, Florida.
TNS. The Naturist Society, founded by Lee Baxandall in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1980, with a focus on individuals and public beaches. Its political arm is the NAC, the Naturist Action Committee, established in 1990.
INF-FNI. The International Naturist Federation, founded at Montalivet, France, in 1953, the umbrella body for national federations and issuer of the INF card, the membership card European naturist campsites ask for at reception.
BN. British Naturism, the UK's national body, formed in 1964 as the Central Council for British Naturism and renamed in 2009.
FCN. The Federation of Canadian Naturists. FFN, the French federation; DFK, the German one. All four are covered in our guide to naturist organizations and whether you need to join.
If you meet a term that is not here, ask in the forum; naturists like explaining their vocabulary almost as much as they like explaining their beaches.