All 3 Uses of
coquette
in
Jane Eyre
- She pulled out of her box, about ten minutes ago, a little pink silk frock; rapture lit her face as she unfolded it; coquetry runs in her blood, blends with her brains, and seasons the marrow of her bones.†
p. 163.2coquetry = casual playfulness that arouses sexual interest
- Do you think Miss Ingram will not suffer from your dishonest coquetry?†
p. 303.6
- I had learnt her whole character, which was without mystery or disguise: she was coquettish but not heartless; exacting, but not worthlessly selfish.†
p. 425.0 *coquettish = casually playful in a way that arouses sexual interest of men
Definitions:
-
(1)
(coquette) a woman who is casually playful in a way that arouses sexual interest of men but does not imply serious flirtationCoquette is a French word that is similar to the word flirt. There are two primary differences:
- Coquette only refers to a woman whereas flirt can refer to either sex.
- To say someone is coquettish implies that she is just being playful and does not intend sexual relations with the man with whom she is interacting; whereas when a woman is described as flirting, the word does not indicate whether she is just being playful or she wants to instigate sexual relations.
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, coquette can refer to a species of bird or to a city name.