Shy

Part of speech: noun (n.)

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.

Part of speech: verb (v.)

To start suddenly aside through fright or suspicion; -- said especially of horses.

Part of speech: verb (v.)

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

Part of speech: adjective (a.)

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, v. i.