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diffidence

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dif⋅fi⋅dence

  [dif-i-duhns]
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–noun
the quality or state of being diffident.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L diffīdentia mistrust, want of confidence. See diffident, -ence
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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dif·fi·dence   (dĭf'ĭ-dəns, -děns')   
n.  The quality or state of being diffident; timidity or shyness.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

diffidence 
1526, from L. diffidentia "want of confidence," from diffidere "to mistrust, lack confidence," from dis- "away" + fidere "to trust" (see faith). Modern sense is of "distrusting oneself" (1651). The original sense was the opposite of confidence.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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