English → Latin
“coy” in Latin
pudīcuschaste, pure, undefiled; modest, shamefaced, bashful; virtuous, honorable or honourable, faithfulpudeōto cause shame; to be ashamedmodestusmoderate, calm, restrained, mild; modest, reserved, discreetverēcundusfeeling shame, shamefaced, bashful, shy, modest; worthy of reverence, venerabletimidusfearful, afraid, apprehensive, timid; cowardly
The English word coy itself goes back to Latin quiēs.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
coy
pudicus: pudens: modestus: verecundus: timidus [SYN. in MODEST]: rather coy, subtimidus.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for coy?
- The usual Latin words for “coy” are pudīcus, pudeō, modestus; also verēcundus, timidus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.