coquette
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a woman who flirts
-
any hummingbird of the genus Lophornis, esp the crested Brazilian species L. magnifica
Gender
What's the difference between coquette and coquet? See -ette.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of coquette
First recorded in 1605–15; from French, feminine of coquet
Explanation
A coquette is a flirt, a girl or woman who knows how to flatter and manipulate men with her charms in order to get what she wants. Coquette sounds French, and it is, borrowed into English from French in the mid-17th century. It's the feminine diminutive form of coq, which means "cock, a male bird" — so coquette refers to a little female bird, and, in fact, it's also the name of a kind of colorful hummingbird found in Latin America. If you imagine a coquette as a flamboyant little bird flitting about and teasing the male birds, you'll have a good picture of a coquette.
Vocabulary lists containing coquette
Power Suffix: -ette
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 15
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"The Night Before Christmas" by Nikolai Gogol
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This is the note I was furiously typing on my phone during Sandy Liang’s presentation: “Girly pop, coquette, hot ticket — obviously. Bandannas!!!”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 13, 2024
Corrin immediately achieves a balance between the coquette and energetic idealist we picture Diana to be, and her performance invites the viewer into the Princess's interiority almost immediately.
From Salon • Nov. 14, 2020
She placed a hand on each cheek, tilted her head like a stage coquette and pouted moodily.
From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2019
This early Parisienne was an accessible figure, a scrappy coquette who loved as hard as she worked.
From The New Yorker • Sep. 19, 2019
See how admirably she already plays her part and what a success she will have in the r�le of la grande coquette!'
From Count Br?hl by Kraszewski, Jo?zef Ignacy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
