▪ I. coquette, n.
(kəʊˈkɛt)
Forms: (7 cocket), 7–8 coquet, 8 cocquet, 7– coquette.
[a. F. coquette, fem. of coquet coquet. Formerly spelt coquet, like the masculine: so found even in 19th c., but coquette was occasional before 1720, and usual after 1740. The stress on the second syllable is found about 1700.]
1. A woman (more or less young), who uses arts to gain the admiration and affection of men, merely for the gratification of vanity or from a desire of conquest, and without any intention of responding to the feelings aroused; a woman who habitually trifles with the affections of men; a flirt.
In early use the notion ranged widely from gallantry, wantonness, or immodesty, to pretty pertness.
| α 1611 Cotgr., Coquette, a prattling or proud gossip; a frisking or fliperous minx; a cocket. 1678 Otway Friendship in F. i. i. 3 A perfect Coquet, very affected, and something old. 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Cocquet..also a wanton Girl that speaks fair to several Lovers at once. 1708 Prior Turtle & Sparrow 295 A meer Cocquet, or such I thought her. 1720 Gay Poems (1745) II. 83 False are the loose Coquet's inveigling airs. 1790 C. M. Graham Lett. Educ. 221 A coquet commonly finds her own perdition, in the very flames which she raises to consume others. 1829 Lytton Devereux ii. ii, Amorously eyeing the pretty coquet. |
| β 1669 Dryden Ev. Love iii. i, One of the greatest Coquettes in Madrid. 1712–4 Pope Rape Lock i. 88 Instruct the Eyes of young Coquettes to roll. 1742 Fielding J. Andrews III. iii. 85 If it was possible for a Coquette to love. 1761 Churchill Night Poems I. 88 Coquettes no more pursue the jilting plan. 1837 Lytton E. Maltrav. 65, I am no heartless coquette. 1885 Girl's Own Paper Jan. 199/2 A coquette is a young lady of more beauty than sense. |
b. fig. or transf.
| 1768–74 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1852) I. 239 Pleasure is an errant coquet, flying those who court her most servilely, and showing herself most gracious to those who bear the greatest indifference towards her. 1822 Shelley Fragm. Moon i, Bright wanderer, fair coquette of heaven. |
c. male coquette: = coquet B. 1.
| 1770 Monthly Rev. 72 One of those Narcissus-like, or Lady-like, gentlemen, called a male-coquet. 1776 Ann. Reg. 37/1 Dr. Rundle was a kind of male coquette. 1779 Mrs. Thrale in Mad. D'Arblay Diary Feb., I often say Dr. Burney is the most of a male coquet of any man I know. 1793 E. Parsons Woman as she should be III. 77 There is nothing more deserving reprehension..than a male coquette. |
2. A genus of crested humming-birds. [F. coquet masc., made coquette in English.]
| [1843 Penny Cycl. XXV. 273/1 s.v. Trochilidæ, 27th Race, the Fops (Coquets).] 1866 Argyll Reign Law v. (ed. 4) 246 One of the most..beautiful of all the tribe is comprised within the genus Lophornis, or the ‘Coquettes’. |
3. a. attrib. or as adj. (Not distinguishable from coquet a. 3.) Having the air of a coquette; coquettish.
| 1743 Fielding Wedding-day iv. ix, A few coquette airs of youth and gaiety. 1751 Eliza Heywood Betsy Thoughtless II. 219 Every little coquette air we give ourselves [will] lessen the value of our charms. 1865 Pall Mall G. 24 Apr. 3 The forest of Soignies..if not as coquette, fully as enjoyable as the famous ‘Bois’ itself. 1867 Musgrave Nooks Old France II. 209 Picturesque and coquette as ever their [mills'] wasp-like waists were. |
b. Comb., as coquette-like adj.; † coquette-patch, a patch for the face.
| 1705 Vanbrugh Confed. ii. i, Araminta, before she can come abroad, is so long a placing her coquet-patch, that I must be a year without company. 1760 Goldsm. Cit. W. lxx, Coquet like, she flies from her close pursuers. 1864 Tennyson Hendecasyllabics, As some rare little rose..or half coquette-like Maiden. |
▪ II. coquette v., coquetting
see coquet v.