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Webster 1913 Edition

Shy

Shy

(shī)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Shier
(shī′ẽr)
or
Shyer
;
sup
erl.
Shiest
or
Shyest
.]
[OE.
schey
,
skey
,
sceouh
, AS.
sceóh
; akin to Dan.
sky
, Sw.
skygg
, D.
schuw
, MHG.
schiech
, G.
scheu
, OHG.
sciuhen
to be or make timid. Cf.
Eschew
.]
1.
Easily frightened; timid;
as, a
shy
bird
.
The horses of the army . . . were no longer
shy
, but would come up to my very feet without starting.
Swift.
2.
Reserved; coy; disinclined to familiar approach.
What makes you so
shy
, my good friend? There’s nobody loves you better than I.
Arbuthnot.
The embarrassed look of
shy
distress
And maidenly shamefacedness.
Wordsworth.
3.
Cautious; wary; suspicious.
I am very
shy
of using corrosive liquors in the preparation of medicines.
Boyle.
Princes are, by wisdom of state, somewhat
shy
of thier successors.
Sir H. Wotton.
To fight shy
.
See under
Fight
,
Verb.
I.

Shy

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Shied
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Shying
.]
[From
Shy
,
Adj.
]
To start suddenly aside through fright or suspicion; – said especially of horses.

Shy

,
Verb.
T.
To throw sidewise with a jerk; to fling;
as, to
shy
a stone; to
shy
a slipper
.
T. Hughes.

Shy

,
Noun.
1.
A sudden start aside, as by a horse.
2.
A side throw; a throw; a fling.
Thackeray.
If Lord Brougham gets a stone in his hand, he must, it seems, have a
shy
at somebody.
Punch.

Webster 1828 Edition

Shy

SHY

,
Adj.
1. Fearful of near approach; keeping at a distance through caution or timidity; shunning approach; as a shy bird.
She is represented in a shy retiring posture. Addison.
2. Reserved; not familiar; coy; avoiding freedom of intercourse.
What makes you so shy, my good friend? Arbuthnot.
3. Cautious; wary; careful to avoid committing one's self or adopting measures.
I am very shy of using corrosive liquors in the preparation of medicines.

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