Contextualizebeta

coy

adj
/kɔɪ/

Etymology

From Middle English coy, from Old French coi, earlier quei (“quiet, still”), from Latin qu(i)ētus (“resting, at rest”). Doublet of quit, quiet, quite, and quietus.

  1. derived from quies
  2. derived from coi
  3. inherited from coy

Definitions

  1. Bashful, shy, retiring.

  2. Quiet, reserved, modest.

  3. Reluctant to give details about something sensitive

    Reluctant to give details about something sensitive; notably prudish.

  4. ›+ 9 more definitions

    1. Pretending shyness or modesty, especially in an insincere or flirtatious way.

      • The ill-bred miss, the bird-brained Jill, / May simper and be coy at will; / A lady, sir, as you will find, / Keeps counsel, or she speaks her mind, / Means what she says and scorns to fence / And palter with feigned innocence.

    2. Soft, gentle, hesitating.

      • Enforced hate, / Instead of love's coy touch, shall rudely tear thee.

    3. To caress, pet

      To caress, pet; to coax, entice.

      • Come sit thee down upon this flowery bed, / While I thy amiable cheeks do coy.

    4. To calm or soothe.

    5. To allure

      To allure; to decoy.

      • For now there are ſprung up a wiſer generation in this kind, who have the Art to coy the fonder ſort into their nets

    6. A trap from which waterfowl may be hunted.

    7. A company

    8. A surname.

    9. An unincorporated community in McDonald County, Missouri.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for coy. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA