Wordwyrt

coyly

/ˈkɔɪli/KOY-lee
UK form converted from the US by rule · unchecked
/ˈkɔɪli/KOY-lee

Meaningin a coy way

Common meaning: shyly, often teasingly

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Journey through time

  1. Latinquietus‘quiet, still’source
  2. Old Frenchcoi‘still, quiet’source
  3. Englishcoy‘shy in a teasing way’
  4. Englishformed in English from coycoyly‘shyly, often teasingly’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from coy + -ly.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), COY, p.139 · scan

Source words

  • quietus Latin · source word “discharged, free”

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