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coi

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Etymology and origin of the French word coi

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100 Chanson de Roland More words from the 11th century
Inherited from
Latin *quetus via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin quietus

Pronunciation

Forms

coi (feminine coite, masculine plural cois, feminine plural coites)[1] Old French quei, later coi; the old feminine coie was replaced by coite, recorded by the Académie in 1798.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French quei, inherited from Vulgar Latin *quētus, an altered form of Latin quiētus (“at rest”).[2][4][3][5] The modern feminine replaced the older coie on the model of the feminines of droit and étroit.[2][3] quiet is a learned doublet.[1]

Cognate with Romanian cet, Italian cheto, Old Occitan quet, Spanish quedo and Portuguese quedo.[6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as quei in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100), of people, meaning calm and still.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The oldest French adjective for quietness, it was common in Old and Middle French, of people (soi tenir tut coi, about 1170) and of things, as a calm sea (1160–1185) or a warm closed room.[2][3][7] In French the sense “quiet” was then shared by coi and quiet, and the sense “released” went to quitte.[6] Today it survives mainly in rester coi, demeurer coi and se tenir coi.[3][8]

English coy was borrowed from the Old French word in the early 14th century.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Quei appears in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • c. 1170 – Soi tenir tut coi “to keep still” is used in the Livre des Rois.[2]
  • 1160–1185 – Mer coie “calm sea” appears in Guillaume d'Angleterre.[2]
  • early 14th century – English borrows the word as coy.[9]
  • 1798 – The Académie records the feminine coite.[2]
  • 1823 – Boiste records coitement.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (dated, literary) quiet and still.[2][6]
  2. Rester, demeurer, se tenir coi: to keep quiet and not move, or not to intervene.[6][8]
  3. En rester coi: to be left speechless with amazement.[6][8]

Word family

  • coitement
  • coiment

Usage notes

The feminine coite is rare.[6][3] Coi is a homophone of quoi.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1470b
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Coi.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/coi. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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