Coy v.¹

Also 4 koy, 7 quoy. [f. COY a.: or perh. originally an aphetic form of acoy, ACCOY, OF. acoier vb.]

  † 1.  trans. To render quiet; to calm, appease.

c. 1374.  Chaucer, Troylus, II. 752. To … koy hem, that thei sey non harme of me.

1430.  Lydg., Chron. Troy, Prol. He coyed also bothe beast, foule, and tree.

1530.  Palsgr., 488/2. I coye, I styll or apayse.

  † 2.  To stroke or touch soothingly, pat, caress.

1340–70.  Alisaunder, 1175. Hee coies hym as he kan with his clene handes.

1575.  Turberv., Faulconrie, 133. Coy her as muche as you can devise.

1590.  Shaks., Mids. N., IV. i. 2. While I thy amiable cheekes doe coy.

1645.  Bp. Hall, Remed. Discontents, § 23. Like a dog, which being coyed, and stroked, follows us at the heels.

1674.  N. Cox, Gentl. Recreation, II. (1706), 74. Be very mindful of coying them [Sparrow hawks] as much as you can.

  † 3.  To blandish, coax, court, gain over by caresses or coaxing. Obs.

c. 1490.  Promp. Parv., 86 (MS. K.). Coyyn, blandior.

1567.  Turberv., Ovid’s Epist., 83. Sir Paris gone to Greece, faire Helena to coy. Ibid. (1570–6), To late acquainted Friend. As when he [Iove] coyde the closed nunne in towre.

16[?].  Beaumont & Fl., Bonduca, IV. iii. Who shall march out before ye, coy’d and courted By all the mistresses of war.

  † b.  To coax, entice, allure into, from, etc. Obs. (Here, app. associated with COY sb.¹, DECOY v.)

1634.  Rainbow, Labour (1635), 29. A wiser generation … who have the Art to coy the fonder sort into their nets.

  † c.  intr. To coy with: to coax, blandish.

1660–1.  Pepys, Diary, 7 March. With good words I thought to coy with him.

  4.  intr. To act or behave coyly: to affect shyness or reserve. Chiefly in to coy it. arch.

1583.  Stanyhurst, Æneis, 96. If she coye, that kendleth thee fondling loouer his onset.

c. 1594.  Kyd, Sp. Trag., II. in Hazl., Dodsley, V. 47. Although she coy it, as becomes her kind.

1625.  Massinger, New Way, III. ii. When He comes to woo you, see you do not coy it: This mincing modesty has spoil’d many a match.

1691.  Dryden, K. Arthur, III. ii. Wks. 1884, VIII. 180. What, coying it again!

1713.  Rowe, Jane Shore, II. Thus to coy it! With one who knows you too!

1828.  Scott, F. M. Perth, xi. What you coy it, my nymph of the high-way?

  † b.  To disdain. Obs. rare.

1607.  Shaks., Cor., V. i. 6. If he … coy’d To heare Cominius speake, Ile keepe at home.

  5.  fig. To withdraw itself, recede into the background.

1864.  Blackmore, C. Vaughan, lxiv. Of all the fronds and plumes and coyings, nothing so withdrew and coyed. Ibid. (1866), Cradock Nowell, i. (1873), 2. A massive wood … coying and darkening here and there.

  Hence † Coying vbl. sb.¹, fondling, coaxing, blandishing.

1580.  Lyly, Euphues & Eng. (Arb.), 277. We esteeme it [their old wooing and singing] barbarous: and were they liuing to heare our newe quoyings … they would tearme it foolish.

1603.  Drayton, Odes, vi. 46. The Mothers o’r-joying, Makes by much coying The Child so untoward.

1887.  Bourdillon, trans. Aucassin & Nicolette, 109.