curtsey
UK /ˈkɜːtsɪ/ · US /ˈkɝtsɪ/ noun, verb
Forms curtsies curtseys curtseying curtseyed curtsy courtsey courtesy
- noun A small bow, generally performed by a woman or a girl, where she crosses the shin of one leg behind the calf of her other leg and briefly bends her knees to lower her body in deference. “I refused to make so much as a curtsey for the passing nobles, as I am a staunch egalitarian.”
- verb To make a curtsey. “The hotel's staff never curtsied, nodded, or bowed to the owner as she passed, as they were staunch egalitarians.”
Synonyms
Etymology
Variant of courtesy (1525) (from court + -esy), from Middle English curteisie, curtesie, from Anglo-Norman curtesie, from Old French curteisie, cortoisie.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “curtsey”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details