coy
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English coy, from Old French coi, earlier quei (“quiet, still”), from Latin qu(i)ētus (“resting, at rest”). Doublet of quiet.
Adjective
coy (comparative coyer, superlative coyest)
- (dated) Bashful, shy, retiring.
- (archaic) Quiet, reserved, modest.
- Reluctant to give details about something sensitive; notably prudish.
- Pretending shyness or modesty, especially in an insincere or flirtatious way.
- 1981, A. D. Hope, “His Coy Mistress to Mr. Marvell”, in A Book of Answers:
- 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.
- Soft, gentle, hesitating.
- 1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], →OCLC:
- Enforced hate, / Instead of love's coy touch, shall rudely tear thee.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
bashful, shy
|
archaic: quiet, reserved, modest
|
reluctant to give details about something sensitive
|
pretending shyness or modesty
soft, gentle, hesitating
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Verb
coy (third-person singular simple present coys, present participle coying, simple past and past participle coyed)
- (transitive, obsolete) To caress, pet; to coax, entice.
- c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
- Come sit thee down upon this flowery bed, / While I thy amiable cheeks do coy.
- (transitive, obsolete) To calm or soothe.
- (transitive, obsolete) To allure; to decoy.
- 1635, Edward Rainbowe, Labour Forbidden, and Commanded. A Sermon Preached at St. Pauls[sic] Church, September 28. 1634., London: Nicholas Vavasour, page 29:
- For now there are ſprung up a wiſer generation in this kind, who have the Art to coy the fonder ſort into their nets
Etymology 2
Compare decoy.
Noun
coy (plural coys)
Etymology 3
Abbreviation of company.
Noun
coy (plural coys)
References
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “coy”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams
Etymology 1
Noun
coy
References
- Stairs Kreger, Glenn Albert, Scharfe de Stairs, Emily Florence, Olvaries Oviedo, Proceso, Ponce Villanueva, Tereso, Comonfort Llave, Lorenzo (1981) Diccionario huave de San Mateo del Mar (Serie de vocabularios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 24) (in Spanish), México, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, pages 88, 205, 268
Etymology 2
Noun
coy
References
- Stairs Kreger, Glenn Albert, Scharfe de Stairs, Emily Florence, Olvaries Oviedo, Proceso, Ponce Villanueva, Tereso, Comonfort Llave, Lorenzo (1981) Diccionario huave de San Mateo del Mar (Serie de vocabularios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 24) (in Spanish), México, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, pages 88, 212, 416
Etymology 3
Noun
coy
References
- Stairs Kreger, Glenn Albert, Scharfe de Stairs, Emily Florence, Olvaries Oviedo, Proceso, Ponce Villanueva, Tereso, Comonfort Llave, Lorenzo (1981) Diccionario huave de San Mateo del Mar (Serie de vocabularios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 24) (in Spanish), México, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, pages 88, 211, 265
Noun
coy (first-person possessive coyku, second-person possessive coymu, third-person possessive coynya)
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old French coi, from Vulgar Latin quetus, from Latin quietus.
Adjective
coy m (feminine singular coye, masculine plural coys, feminine plural coyes)
Descendants
- French: coi
Etymology
Borrowed from Dutch kooi (“bunk”). Doublet of gavia and cávea.
Pronunciation
Noun
Further reading
- “coy”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28
Noun
coy
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