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The quality of being maidenly; the behavior that becomes a maid; modesty; gentleness.

Like a maid; suiting a maid; maiden-like; gentle, modest, reserved. Must you be blushing . . . What a maidenly man-at-arms are you become ! Shak.

Modesty, courtesy, or concession, or a desire to soften a question or remark. How old may Phillis be, you ask. Prior.

Offensive to chastity or modesty; expressing of presenting to the mind or view something which delicacy, purity, and decency forbid to be exposed; impure; as, obscene language; obscene pictures. Words that were once chaste, by frequent use grew obscene and uncleanly. I. Watts.

pity or sympathy; -- used also sometimes as a term of endearment, or as an expression of modesty, and sometimes as a word of contempt. And for mine own poor part, Look you, I'll go pray. Shak. Poor, little, pretty, fluttering thing. Prior.

A woman of affected modesty, reserve, or coyness; one who is overscrupulous or sensitive; one who affects extraordinary prudence in conduct and speech. Less modest than the speech of prudes. Swift.

Modesty; shamefacedness. "A pudency so rosy." Shak.

Modesty; chastity. Howell.

It is obvious to distinguished between an act of . . . pusillanimity and an act of great modesty or humility. South.

Reserved; shy; not forward or obtrusive; as, retiring modesty; retiring manners.

-colored; to redden; to flush. [Poetic] "A maid yet rosed over with the virgin crimson of modesty." Shak.

derision; to assail scornfully; to mock at. To scoff religion is ridiculously proud and immodest. Glanwill.

The parts which modesty and propriety require to be concealed; the genital organs. In secret, in a private place; in privacy or secrecy; in a state or place not seen; privately. Bread eaten in secret is pleasant. Prov. ix. 17.

aving done something which injures reputation, or of the exposure of that which nature or modesty prompts us to conceal. HIde, for shame, Romans, your grandsires' images, That blush at their degenerate progeny. Dryden. Have you no modesty, no maiden shame Shak.

Easily confused or put out of countenance; diffident; bashful; modest. Your shamefaced virtue shunned the people's prise. Dryden.

Modest; shamefaced. -- Shame"fast*ly, adv. -- Shame"fast*ness, n. [Archaic] See Shamefaced. Shamefast she was in maiden shamefastness. Chaucer. [Conscience] is a blushing shamefast spirit. Shak. Modest apparel with shamefastness. 1 Tim. ii. 9 (Rev. Ver.).

Destitute of shame; wanting modesty; brazen-faced; insensible to disgrace. "Such shameless bards we have." Pope. Shame enough to shame thee, wert thou not shameless. Shak.

A modest, diffident look; a loving glance; -- commonly in the plural. I saw her just now give him the languishing eye, as they call it; . . . of old called the sheep's-eye. Wycherley.

Like a sheep; bashful; over-modest; meanly or foolishly diffident; timorous to excess. Wanting change of company, he will, when he comes abroad, be a sheepish or conceited creature. Locke. -- Sheep"ish*ly, adv. -- Sheep"ish*ness, n.

rt of the stays before, and crosses the breast, being a part of the tucker, is called the modesty piece. Addison.