Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Coax

Coax (kōks; 110) , transitive verb

[Compare Old English cokes fool, a person easily imposed upon, Welsh coeg empty, foolish; French coquin knave, rogue.]

To persuade by gentle, insinuating courtesy, flattering, or fondling; to wheedle; to soothe.

Coax , noun

A simpleton; a dupe. [Obsolete] — Beau. & Fl