entry
shy
/ʃaɪ/Timid, reserved, or easily frightened
From Germanic shy (Shy).
from Proto-Germanic *skeuhaz (“shy, fearful”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian skjou (“shy”), Dutch schuw (“shy”),...
from Old English sċēoh (“shy”)
from Middle English shy (“shy”)
from Middle English shy (“shy”)
Word Ancestry
from Proto-Germanic *skeuhaz (“shy, fearful”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian skjou (“shy”), Dutch schuw (“shy”),...
from Old English sċēoh (“shy”)
from Middle English shy (“shy”)
from Middle English shy (“shy”)
Picture an Old English horse suddenly sidestepping at a crow or rustling branch: that is the original world of shy, whose ancestor *skeuhaz meant “fearful” or “easily startled.” By about 1600, English had extended the word from skittish animals to people who shrank from social contact—less a lack of friendliness than a nervous retreat from the unfamiliar. The later compound camera-shy, recorded by 1890, gives the old instinct a wonderfully modern target: not a wolf in the bushes, but a photographer’s lens. English scare looks like an obvious cousin, and it may share very old Germanic territory, but its route runs through Old Norse and its ultimate origin is uncertain, so the family resemblance should not be treated as proven identity. In 1895, American gambling slang added “short of” or “lacking,” leaving us with the memorable image of someone not merely timid, but shy a few dollars.
The Story
Picture an Old English horse suddenly sidestepping at a crow or rustling branch: that is the original world of shy, whose ancestor *skeuhaz meant “fearful” or “easily startled.” By about 1600, English had extended the word from skittish animals to people who shrank from social contact—less a lack of friendliness than a nervous retreat from the unfamiliar. The later compound camera-shy, recorded by 1890, gives the old instinct a wonderfully modern target: not a wolf in the bushes, but a photographer’s lens. English scare looks like an obvious cousin, and it may share very old Germanic territory, but its route runs through Old Norse and its ultimate origin is uncertain, so the family resemblance should not be treated as proven identity. In 1895, American gambling slang added “short of” or “lacking,” leaving us with the memorable image of someone not merely timid, but shy a few dollars.
Modern Usage
Too scared or nervous to talk to someone, especially a crush
Kin & Kindred
From 'shy'·Shy, fearful, easily startled
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary