Shy a. [Compar. Shier or Shyer; superl. Shiest or Shyest.]
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.
4. Inadequately supplied; short; lacking; as, the team is shy two players.[Slang]
To fight shy. See under Fight, v. i.
shy
adj 1: lacking self-confidence; "stood in the doorway diffident and
abashed"; "problems that call for bold not timid
responses"; "a very unsure young man" [syn: diffident,
timid, unsure]
2: easily startled or frightened
3: short; "eleven is one shy of a dozen" [syn: shy(p)]
4: wary and distrustful; disposed to avoid persons or things;
"shy of strangers"
n : a quick throw; "he gave the ball a shy to the first baseman"
v 1: start suddenly, as from fight
2: throw quickly
[also: shied, shyest, shyer, shiest, shier]