Coy

How to spell coy

3 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce coy

What does coy mean?

1. adjectiveReluctant to give details or commit to a clear answer, often in a deliberately shy or teasing way.

Coy in a sentence

• The manager stayed coy about the exact date of the launch.

• She was coy about how much the renovation had actually cost.

Where does coy come from?

Language of origin: French

Coy reached English in the 1300s from the Old French word 'coi' (earlier 'quei'), which meant 'quiet, still, or calm'. That French word descended from the Latin 'quietus', meaning 'at rest' or 'undisturbed', the same root that gives us 'quiet' and 'quit'. In its earliest English use coy simply meant quiet or modest, but the sense narrowed over the centuries toward a calculated shyness: a person who is reluctant to give a straight answer, often deliberately and a little teasingly. By the time of Shakespeare it carried the modern flavour of bashful reserve, sometimes affected for effect. The very short spelling is the main trap, since the single open vowel and final 'y' give no clue to its older, fuller French and Latin form.

How the word is built

• coy (a single root adjective, from Old French coi 'quiet, still')

Words that sound like coy

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• koi: A large ornamental carp, often brightly patterned, kept in garden ponds and water features.