Shy \Shy\ (sh[imac]), a. [Compar. Shier (-[~e]r) or Shyer; superl. Shiest or Shyest.]

[OE. schey, skey, sceouh, AS. sce['o]h; akin to Dan. sky, Sw. skygg, D. schuw, MHG. schiech, G. scheu, OHG. sciuhen to be or make timid. Cf. Eschew.]

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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)