coquetry

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   playfully flirtatious behavior intended to attract interest, often without serious romantic intent

   Her teasing smile was coquetry rather than a promise of affection.

2. 2
   noun

   an individual flirtatious gesture or affectation

   The fan and sidelong glance were practiced coquetries of the period.

Borrowed from French coquetterie, from coquet or coquette, "a flirt," originally a diminutive of coq, "rooster." The comparison invoked the showy, strutting behavior of a rooster. Older definitions often applied the word specifically to women, but modern use need not be gendered.

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