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bash·ful

(băshfəl)

adj.

1. Shy, self-conscious, and awkward in the presence of others: "I never laughed, being bashful. / Lowering my head, I looked at the wall" (Ezra Pound).

2. Characterized by, showing, or resulting from shyness, self-consciousness, or awkwardness: "He had polite bashful manners and a low grownup voice" (John Dos Passos).

[From obsolete bash, to abash, be abashed (from Middle English basshen, variant of abaishen, abasshen; see ABASH) + -FUL.]

bashful·ly adv.

bashful·ness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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