coyly

Variant of coy

coy definition

coy (ko̵i)

adjective

  1. Obsolete quiet; silent
    1. shrinking from contact or familiarity with others; bashful; shy
    2. primly reserved; demure
  3. affecting innocence or shyness, esp. in a playful or coquettish manner
  4. reticent or evasive, as in making a commitment
  5. Archaic inaccessible; secluded
  6. Obsolete disdainfully aloof

Etymology: ME, still, quiet < OFr coi, earlier quei < LL *quetus < L quietus: see quiet

intransitive verb

Archaic to behave in a coy way

transitive verb

Obsolete to pet or caress

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.