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Shy

//ʃaɪ// adj, name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Easily frightened; timid.

    "The horses of the army, and those of the royal stables, having been daily led before me, were no longer shy, but would come up to my very feet without starting."

  2. 2
    Reserved; disinclined to familiar approach.

    "He is very shy with strangers."

  3. 3
    Cautious; wary; suspicious.

    "We grant, although he had much wit, / H' was very shy of using it; / As being loth to wear it out, / And therefore bore it not about,"

  4. 4
    Short, insufficient or less than. informal

    "By our count your shipment came up two shy of the bill of lading amount."

  5. 5
    Embarrassed.
Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    Less likely to reveal whom they will vote for than average, chiefly in the context of the collective effect this has on polling accuracy. UK, US

    "Pollsters need to remember the shy Tory factor."

Adjective
  1. 1
    wary and distrustful; disposed to avoid persons or things wordnet
  2. 2
    lacking self-confidence wordnet
  3. 3
    short wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.
Noun
  1. 1
    An act of throwing.

    "Foker discharged a prodigious bouquet at her, and even Smirke made a feeble shy with a rose, and blushed dreadfully when it fell into the pit"

  2. 2
    a quick throw wordnet
  3. 3
    A place for throwing.

    "coconut shy"

  4. 4
    A sudden start aside, as by a horse.
  5. 5
    In the Eton College wall game, a point scored by lifting the ball against the wall in the calx.
Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    A throw-in from the sidelines, using two hands above the head. Scotland
  2. 7
    In shinty, the act of tossing the ball above the head and hitting it with the shaft of the caman to bring it back into play after it has been hit out of the field. Scotland
  3. 8
    A gibe; a sneer. archaic
Verb
  1. 1
    To avoid due to caution, embarrassment or timidness. intransitive

    "Courts might tend to shy from limiting Congress under such a vague standard."

  2. 2
    throw quickly wordnet
  3. 3
    To jump back in fear. intransitive

    "The horse shied at the unexpected approach of a motor vehicle."

  4. 4
    start suddenly, as from fright wordnet
  5. 5
    To throw sideways with a jerk; to fling. transitive

    "to shy a stone"

Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    To throw a ball with two hands above the head, especially when it has crossed the side lines in a football (soccer) match. Scotland, intransitive, transitive
  2. 7
    To hit the ball back into play from the sidelines in a shinty match. Scotland

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English shy (“shy”), from Old English sċēoh (“shy”), from Proto-West Germanic *skeuh (“shy, fearful”), from Proto-Germanic *skeuhaz (“shy, fearful”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian skjou (“shy”), Dutch schuw (“shy”), German scheu (“shy”), Danish sky (“shy”). Etymology tree Middle English shy English shy

Etymology 2

From Middle English shy (“shy”), from Old English sċēoh (“shy”), from Proto-West Germanic *skeuh (“shy, fearful”), from Proto-Germanic *skeuhaz (“shy, fearful”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian skjou (“shy”), Dutch schuw (“shy”), German scheu (“shy”), Danish sky (“shy”). Etymology tree Middle English shy English shy

Etymology 3

From Middle English shy (“shy”), from Old English sċēoh (“shy”), from Proto-West Germanic *skeuh (“shy, fearful”), from Proto-Germanic *skeuhaz (“shy, fearful”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian skjou (“shy”), Dutch schuw (“shy”), German scheu (“shy”), Danish sky (“shy”). Etymology tree Middle English shy English shy

See also for "shy"

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