Coyly
/ˈkɔɪ.li/noun
In a shy, reserved, or modest way.
Did you know?Coy comes through Old French from a word meaning “quiet” or “still,” and its older senses often leaned toward reserved behavior that could feel deliberately evasive.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱwey-
“to rest, be quiet, lie still”
Latin
Latin
quies
“rest, quiet, repose”
Old French
Old French
coi
“quiet, calm, still”
Middle English
English
coy
“shy, modest, reserved; sometimes aloof or reluctant”
Modern English
English
coyly
“in a shy, reserved, or teasingly reluctant way”