Meaning and Origin
What does the name Shy mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
Origin and Meaning of Shy
User Submitted Origins
English
70%
Hebrew
20%
French
10%
User Submitted Meanings
- A user from Pennsylvania, U.S. says the name Shy means "Gift of God".
International Interest
Also see international interest
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
adjective Shy
Senses
- 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.]
- 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.]
- 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.]
- Inadequately supplied; short; lacking; as, the team is shy two players.(Slang)
- [Poker] owing money to the pot; -- in cases where an opponent's bet has exceeded a player's available stake or chips, but the player chooses to continue playing the hand before adding the required bet to the pot.(Slang)
Etymology: 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
verb Shy
To start suddenly aside through fright or suspicion; -- said especially of horses.
Etymology: From Shy (a.)
verb Shy
To throw sidewise with a jerk; to fling; as, to shy a stone; to shy a slipper.
noun Shy
Senses
- A sudden start aside, as by a horse.
- A side throw; a throw; a fling."If Lord Brougham gets a stone in his hand, he must, it seems, have a shy at somebody." [Punch.]
Other Dictionary Sources
- A quick throw ("he gave the ball a shy to the first baseman")
- Throw quickly
- Start suddenly, as from fright
- Wary and distrustful; disposed to avoid persons or things ("shy of strangers")
- Lacking self-confidence
- Short ("eleven is one shy of a dozen")
Wiktionary
From Middle English shy (“shy”), from Old English sċēoh (“shy”), from Proto-Germanic *skeuhaz (“shy, fearful”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian skjou (“shy”), Dutch schuw (“shy”), German scheu (“shy”), Danish sky (“shy”).
- An act of throwing.
- A place for throwing.
- coconut
- A sudden start aside, as by a horse.
- In the Eton College wall game, a point scored by lifting the ball against the wall in the calx.