shy

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
shy1

▶adjective (shyer, shyest)

• 1 nervous or timid in the company of other people.

  ■ (shy of/about) slow or reluctant to do.

  ■ [in combination] having a specified dislike or aversion: camera-shy.

  ■ (of a wild animal) reluctant to remain in sight of humans.

• 2 (shy of) informal less than; short of.

  ■ before.

• 3 (of a plant) not bearing flowers or fruit well or prolifically.

▶verb (shies, shying, shied) (especially of a horse) start suddenly aside in fright.

■ (shy from or shy away from) avoid through nervousness or lack of confidence.

▶noun a sudden startled movement, especially of a frightened horse.

– derivatives
shyer noun,
shyly adverb,
shyness noun.

– origin OE scēoh ‘(of a horse) easily frightened’, of Gmc origin; cf. eschew.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
shy2

▶verb (shies, shying, shied) fling or throw at a target. ▶noun (pl. shies) (often in phr. have a shy at) an act of shying.

– origin C18: of unknown origin.