coyly

adv

Etymology: Etymology tree English coy Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English coyly From coy + -ly.

1. In a coy manner.

   “Melons, who was engaged in breathing hard after Limpet, got such a shock as the curate drifted coyly before his beard, that for the moment he ceased to breathe at all.”