Dictionary Definition
coy adj
1 affectedly modest or shy especially in a
playful or provocative way [syn: demure, overmodest]
2 showing marked and often playful or irritating
evasiveness or reluctance to make a definite or committing
statement; "a politician coy about his intentions"
3 modestly or warily rejecting approaches or
overtures; "like a wild young colt, very inquisitive but very coy
and not to be easily cajoled"
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- /kɔɪ/
-
- Rhymes with: -ɔɪ
Etymology 1
From coi, earlier quei "quiet, still", itself ultimately from quietusTranslations
bashful, shy
pretending shyness or modesty
archaic: quiet, reserved, modest
reluctant to give details about something
sensitive
- ttbc Dutch: bedeesd, verlegen; (pretending) koket
- ttbc Icelandic: feiminn , feimin , feimið ; óframfærinn , óframfærin , óframfærið ; hæglátur , hæglát , hæglátt , ekki jafn feiminn og hann lætur , ekki jafn feimin og hún lætur , ekki jafn feimið og það lætur
Verb
Etymology 2
Compare decoy.Extensive Definition
The term Coy may refer to:
- Shyness, or someone pretending to be shy
- Koi, an ornamental fish, an Eastern carp
- Coy, Spain, a town in the municipality of Lorca, Spain
- Coy, Arkansas, a small town in Lonoke County, Arkansas
- Bernard Coy (1991), an American bankrobber, famous for trying to escape from Alcatraz prison
COY may also refer to:
- COY, the ICAO designator for Coyne Airways, a British airline
- "Crazy on You", 1976 debut single by the American rock band Heart
- Company (military unit), in military organisation
Also
- COYS, in an English soccer context, is the acronym and a code word for the Tottenham Hotspur fans' rallying cry "Come On You Spurs".
coy in German: Coy
coy in French: COY
coy in Italian: COY
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
amative, amatory, arch, bashful, capricious, caressive, confused, conscious, coquettish, decent, decorous, demure, diffident, flirtatious, flirty, inarticulate, kittenish, lively, mischievous, mousy, nice, playful, proper, rabbity, retiring, roguish, seemly, self-conscious,
self-effacing, sexual,
shamefaced, shamefast, shy, skittish, stammering, timid, timorous, unassertive, unassured