coy

See also: cố ý

English

WOTD – 15 July 2007

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kɔɪ/
Audio (US) (file)
Audio (AU) (file)
Rhymes: -ɔɪ
Homophone: koi

Etymology 1

From Old French coi, earlier quei (“quiet, still”), from Latin quietus (“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.
Soft, gentle, hesitating.
- Shakespeare
  Enforced hate, / Instead of love's coy touch, shall rudely tear thee.

Derived terms

Related terms

▼ <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:English_terms_derived_from_the_PIE_root_*k%CA%B7yeh%E2%82%81-' title='Category:English terms derived from the PIE root *kʷyeh₁-'>English terms derived from the PIE root *kʷyeh₁-</a>‎ (0 c, 10 e)

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/acquiesce' title='acquiesce'>acquiesce</a>

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/quiesce' title='quiesce'>quiesce</a>

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/quiescent' title='quiescent'>quiescent</a>

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/quiet' title='quiet'>quiet</a>

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/quietude' title='quietude'>quietude</a>

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/quietus' title='quietus'>quietus</a>

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/requiem' title='requiem'>requiem</a>

<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/while' title='while'>while</a>

Translations

bashful, shy

Bulgarian: свенлив (bg) (svenliv), срамежлив (bg) (sramežliv)
Dutch: bedeesd (nl), timide (nl), verlegen (nl)
French: timide (fr)
Georgian: მორცხვი (morcxvi)
German: keusch (de), verlegen (de)

Hungarian: szégyenlős (hu), félénk (hu)
Italian: timido (it) m
Russian: засте́нчивый (ru) (zasténčivyj), ро́бкий (ru) (róbkij)
Spanish: tímido (es) m
Turkish: mahcup (tr) (dated), utangaç (tr), çekingen (tr), muhteriz (tr) (archaic)

archaic: quiet, reserved, modest

Bulgarian: тих (bg) (tih), мълчалив (bg) (mǎlčaliv)
Dutch: bedeesd (nl), bescheiden (nl), timide (nl), schuchter (nl), verlegen (nl)
French: coi (fr) (archaic)
Georgian: მორიდებული (moridebuli)
German: verschämt, schüchtern (de), zurückhaltend (de)

Italian: schivo (it)
Russian: скро́мный (ru) (skrómnyj)
Spanish: recatado (es)
Turkish: muhteriz (tr) (archaic), mahcup (tr) (dated)
Walloon: coe (wa) m

reluctant to give details about something sensitive

Bulgarian: сдържан (bg) (sdǎržan), дискретен (bg) (diskreten)
Dutch: bescheiden (nl), discreet (nl), kuis (nl), terughoudend (nl)
Georgian: თავშეკავებული (tavšeḳavebuli)
German: diskret (de), prüde (de)

Italian: modesto (it) m
Russian: сде́ржанный (ru) (sdéržannyj)
Spanish: discreto (es) m

pretending shyness or modesty

Dutch: koket (nl)
German: (rare) kokett (de)

Turkish: nazlı (tr), işveli (tr), cilveli (tr)

soft, gentle, hesitating

German: zurückhaltend (de)

Russian: нежный (ru) (nežnyj), мягкий (ru) (mjaxkij)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} feiminn (is), ^{(please verify)} óframfærinn, ^{(please verify)} hæglátur, ^{(please verify)} ekki jafn feiminn og hann lætur

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.
- Shakespeare
  Come sit thee down upon this flowery bed, / While I thy amiable cheeks do coy.
(transitive, obsolete) To calm or soothe.
To allure; to decoy.
- Bishop Rainbow
  A wiser generation, who have the art to coy the fonder sort into their nets.

Etymology 2

Compare decoy.

Noun

coy (plural coys)

A trap from which waterfowl may be hunted.

Etymology 3

Abbreviation of company.

Noun

coy (plural coys)

(military) A company

References

“coy” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.

Anagrams

CYO

Middle French

Alternative forms

coi
quoy

Etymology

From Old French coi, from Vulgar Latin quetus, from Latin quietus.

Adjective

coy m (feminine singular coye, masculine plural coys, feminine plural coyes)

(of a person) calm; composed

Descendants

French: coi

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