Flirtation or playful teasing behavior, typically to gain attention or admiration, usually without sincere romantic intention.
From French 'coquet,' a diminutive of 'coq' meaning rooster (suggesting the bird's showy display), plus '-ry' meaning behavior or practice. The term emerged in 17th-century European courts.
The word comes from rooster behavior because male roosters strut and display to impress—humans do the same thing socially, and we borrowed the bird metaphor to describe the playful, performative nature of flirtation.
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