Coint

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Archaic or Scots term describing someone who is skilful, clever, or neat and elegant in manner or appearance
2. An old-fashioned word meaning dexterous, adroit, or dainty, especially in how a person works or carries themselves
3. Used in older English and Scots to describe something or someone that is skilfully made, nimble, or tastefully neat

Etymology: Coint, a Scots word for something done with deftness and neatness, is a close relative of "quaint," though the two have gone very different ways. Both descend from Old French "cointe," which meant "skilful" or "clever," and that in turn came from Latin "cognitus," "known" or "well acquainted." A person who knew their craft thoroughly was a person who worked with ease and polish. English "quaint" kept that sense of cleverness for a while, then shifted toward "odd" and "curious," and later toward "charmingly old-fashioned." Coint stayed closer to the original idea, describing skill and neatness in action rather than anything strange or picturesque.