Flirting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Engaging in playful or teasing actions to express romantic or sexual interest in someone
2. Behaving in a lighthearted manner that suggests attraction without serious intent
3. Showing casual and charming behavior intended to attract or amuse another person

Etymology: Before it described teasing glances, "flirt" meant a sudden, jerky movement. In the sixteenth century it was used of a quick flick or snap, and the sense of darting motion stayed alive for centuries. The origin is probably imitative, tied to the quick, sharp motion itself, though its exact source is debated. The shift to courtship came in the seventeenth century, when "flirt" began to describe a person, usually a woman, who moved flightily from one admirer to another. The darting, changeable quality of the original motion was transferred onto behavior between people. By the eighteenth century, the playful, uncommitted courtship that "flirting" names had become established, so the modern sense keeps the original idea of a light, quick, shifting movement.

Synonyms: teasing, coquetry, playing, dallying, seducing

Antonyms: seriousness, disinterest, indifference