Etymo

coy

Shyly reserved or reluctant to reveal something.

Played on · Day 35 · word 2 of 5

The older shapes of coy

How coy reached English

oldest first

  1. Latin

    quietus

    ‘free; calm, resting’

    into Anglo-French

  2. Anglo-French

    quoi

    ‘quiet’

    into Middle English

  3. Middle English

    coi

    ‘quiet, modest, demure’

    became English

  4. English

    coy

The story of coy

Coy belongs to the same old quiet word family.

Latin quietus meant quiet or at rest. Anglo-French quoi carried the word into English, where coy came to describe reserved behaviour.

Source

Merriam-Webster: coy

Selected historical forms, oldest first: Latin quietus → Anglo-French quoi → English coy. Each form is in the ancestry rather than merely a listed cognate. Selected glosses: quietus: Quiet or at rest; quoi: Quiet; coy: Shyly reserved.

More words from 10 October 2026

  1. cosmopolitanInternational in outlook or made up of people from many places.
  2. spinsterA term associated with an unmarried woman.
  3. stewardSomeone entrusted with managing property, supplies or an organisation.
  4. alligatorA large aquatic reptile with a broad snout.

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