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flirt - 7 dictionary results

flirt

[flurt]
–verb (used without object)
1. to court triflingly or act amorously without serious intentions; play at love; coquet.
2. to trifle or toy, as with an idea: She flirted with the notion of buying a sports car.
3. to move with a jerk or jerks; dart about: butterflies flirting from flower to flower.
–verb (used with object)
4. to give a sudden or brisk motion to; wave smartly, as a fan.
5. to throw or propel with a toss or jerk; fling suddenly.
–noun
6. Also, flirter. a person who is given to flirting.
7. a quick throw or toss; sudden jerk or darting motion.

Origin:
1540–50; expressive word; cf. similar initial cluster in flap, flick 1 , flip 1 , and final elements of squirt, spurt, etc.


flirt⋅ing⋅ly, adverb


1. tease. 1, 2. dally. 6. minx, coquette, tease.
flirt   (flûrt)   
v.   flirt·ed, flirt·ing, flirts

v.   intr.
  1. To make playfully romantic or sexual overtures.
  2. To deal playfully, triflingly, or superficially with: flirt with danger.
  3. To move abruptly or jerkily.
v.   tr.
  1. To toss or flip suddenly.
  2. To move quickly.
n.  
  1. One given to flirting.
  2. An abrupt jerking movement.

[Origin unknown.]
flirt'y adj.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to deal lightly, casually, or flippantly with someone or something: flirted with the idea of getting a job; dallying with music; can't play with life; toyed with the problem; a person not to be trifled with.

Flirt

Flirt\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Flirted; p. pr. & vb. n. Flirting.] [Cf. AS. fleard trifle, folly, fleardian to trifle.]

1. To throw with a jerk or quick effort; to fling suddenly; as, they flirt water in each other's faces; he flirted a glove, or a handkerchief.

2. To toss or throw about; to move playfully to and fro; as, to flirt a fan.

3. To jeer at; to treat with contempt; to mock. [Obs.]

I am ashamed; I am scorned; I am flirted. --Beau. & Fl.

Flirt

Flirt\, v. i. 1. To run and dart about; to act with giddiness, or from a desire to attract notice; especially, to play the coquette; to play at courtship; to coquet; as, they flirt with the young men.

2. To utter contemptuous language, with an air of disdain; to jeer or gibe. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl.

Flirt

Flirt\, n. 1. A sudden jerk; a quick throw or cast; a darting motion; hence, a jeer.

Several little flirts and vibrations. --Addison.

With many a flirt and flutter. --E. A. Poe.

2. [Cf. LG. flirtje, G. flirtchen. See Flirt, v. t.] One who flirts; esp., a woman who acts with giddiness, or plays at courtship; a coquette; a pert girl.

Several young flirts about town had a design to cast us out of the fashionable world. --Addison.

Flirt

Flirt\, a. Pert; wanton. [Obs.]
Language Translation for : flirt
Spanish: coquetear, flirtear,
German: flirten,
Japanese: いちゃつく

flirt  (v.)
1553, originally "to turn up one's nose, sneer at," then "to rap or flick, as with the fingers" (1563). The noun is first attested 1549, with the meaning "stroke of wit." It's possible that the original word was imitative, along the lines of flip (v.), but there seems to be some influence from flit, such as in the flirt sense of "to move in short, quick flights," attested from 1583. Meanwhile flirt had come to mean "a pert young hussey" [Johnson] by 1562, and Shakespeare has flirt-gill (i.e. Jill) "a woman of light or loose behavior," while flirtgig was a 17c. Yorkshire dialect word for "a giddy, flighty girl." All or any of these could have fed into the main modern verbal sense of "play at courtship" (1777), which also could have grown naturally from the earlier meaning "to flit inconstantly from object to object" (1578), perhaps influenced by O.Fr. fleureter "talk sweet nonsense," also "to touch a thing in passing," dim. of fleur "flower" and metaphoric of bees skimming from flower to flower. The noun meaning "person who flirts" is from 1732. The Eng. word also is possibly related to E.Fris. flirt "a flick or light blow," and flirtje "a giddy girl."
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