'coquette' originates from French, specifically the word 'coquette', where the root 'coq' meant 'a rooster' and was used figuratively for 'vain' or 'showy'.

'coquette' entered English from French (17th century), deriving from Old French forms such as 'coquet'/'coquette' (diminutive of 'coq'), and became the English word 'coquette'.

Initially it was tied to the idea of 'a dandy or vain person' (from the rooster image); over time it narrowed to mean 'a woman who flirts' or 'a flirt'.