DictionaryRoot: coq
French

coq

cock, rooster

1 / 1
A woman who flirts playfully without serious romantic intent: she initiates teasing contact, then cheerfully declines the man's romantic overture and disengages.
noun

coquette

koh-KET/kəʊˈket/

A woman who playfully seeks romantic attention.

Etymology

The rooster plus diminutive gives the image of a “little cock.” Its strut or lust supplied the figurative comparison for a flirt, with coquette becoming the feminine form.

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