Why is the word ‘tznius’ used in this fashion – pardon the pun! As far as I understand it, ‘tznius’ translates as ‘modesty’ NOT ‘modest’. Therefore, someone may dress either ‘b’tznius’ or ‘tzniusdig’ but not just simply ‘tznius’. Anyone else agree? “
100% agree. I am tired of the grammatical “am haaratzus” as it were, that allows people to use the word incorrectly. Tznius is a noun. People want to express the desire for others to dress B’tznius, which is like saying “tzniusdically,” which would be an adverb. The fact that a lot of people don’t know the proper usage of the word and have accepted incorrect usage, does not mean it should continue that way. It may seem like a very small thing to most people, but I am bothered by this, and have said so on other occasions in the CR.
It is malbush tzanua, not tznius clothing.
Behavior and speech that is tzanua is at least as and maybe even more important than how one dresses.