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Coy vs Cony - What's the difference?

coy | cony |

As nouns the difference between coy and cony

is that coy is a trap from which waterfowl may be hunted while cony is a rabbit, especially the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (formerly known as species: Lepus cuniculus).

As an adjective coy

is bashful, shy, retiring.

As a verb coy

is to caress, pet; to coax, entice.

coy

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) coi, earlier .

Adjective

(er)
  • (dated) Bashful, shy, retiring.
  • (archaic) Quiet, reserved, modest.
  • Reluctant to give details about something sensitive; notably prudish.
  • Pretending shyness or modesty, especially in an insincere or flirtatious way.
  • Soft, gentle, hesitating.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Enforced hate, / Instead of love's coy touch, shall rudely tear thee.
    Derived terms
    * coyly * coyness

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To caress, pet; to coax, entice.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Come sit thee down upon this flowery bed, / While I thy amiable cheeks do coy .
  • (obsolete) To calm or soothe.
  • To allure; to decoy.
  • * Bishop Rainbow
  • A wiser generation, who have the art to coy the fonder sort into their nets.

    Etymology 2

    Compare decoy.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A trap from which waterfowl may be hunted.
  • References

    * [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=coy&searchmode=none]

    cony

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (rabbit) coney, cunny, connie

    Noun

    (conies)
  • A rabbit, especially the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (formerly known as ).
  • (UK, dialect) Rabbit fur.
  • Used in the Old Testament as a translation of Hebrew ลก?p?n'' (''shaapaan'', ''shaphan''), thought to be the rock hyrax ''Hyrax syriacus .
  • Locally for other rabbit-like or hyrax-like animals, such as the Cape hyrax (das, dassie) or the pika ((taxlink), formerly Lagomys princeps ).
  • (obsolete) A simpleton; one who may be taken in by a cony-catcher.
  • * 1599 , Diet's Dry Dinner :
  • It is a most simple animal; whence are derived our usual phrases of cony'' and ''cony catcher .
  • An edible West Indian fish, a grouper given in different sources as: , the hind of Bermuda; (taxlink); (taxlink).
  • Several species of tropical west Atlantic groupers of family Epinephelidae are also called coney , such as the mutton hamlet, graysby, Cuban coney and rooster hind.
  • (UK, dialect) The burbot, also called coney-fish.
  • Synonyms

    * (rabbit) bunny, hare

    Anagrams

    *

    References

    * * * The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. (catlangcode) ----