coax

Etymology 1

Originally (1586) in the slang phrase to make a coax of, from earlier noun coax, cox, cokes "fool, simpleton", itself of obscure origin, perhaps related to cock (“male bird, pert boy”). The modern spelling is from 1706.

verb

1. (obsolete) To fondle, kid, pet, tease.
2. (transitive) To wheedle or persuade (a person, organisation, animal etc.) gradually or by use of flattery to do something.
   She was so mad she wouldn't speak to me for quite a spell, but at last I coaxed her into going up to Miss Emmeline's room and fetching down a tintype of the missing Deacon man. 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 6, in Mr. Pratt's Patients
   12 July 2012, Sam Adams, AV Club Ice Age: Continental Drift On paper, Continental Drift boasts a jaw-dropping voice cast, including but not limited to Jennifer Lopez, Patrick Stewart, Wanda Sykes, Aziz Ansari, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Alan Tudyk. But in practice, the overstuffed ensemble leaves the cast no room to distinguish themselves, and directors Steve Martino and Michael Thurmeier don’t seem interested in coaxing performances that might render their money stars less identifiable.
   He coaxed the horse gently into the trailer.
3. (transitive) To carefully manipulate (someone or something) into a particular desired state, situation or position.
   Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4
   When the occupant of one of these floating dwellings wishes to move, […] he calls to his aid a number of muscular friends and relatives, and then, with the aid of great shovel-shaped paddles, they coax the home away to its new locality. 1908, E Young, “Chapter 2 In Eastern Venice”, in Peeps at Many Lands: Siam, London: Adam and Charles Black, page 6
   They coaxed the rope through the pipe.

noun

1. (obsolete) A simpleton; a dupe.

Etymology 2

Shortened from coaxial

noun

1. Short for coaxial cable.

adj

1. Clipping of coaxial.