courtesy

B2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈkɝɾəsi/ UK /ˈkɜːtəsi/ See IPA manual

Freq #5938

Meanings

1

noun
Polite and considerate behaviour.

He always treats his customers with courtesy.
2

noun
A polite act or favour you do for someone, beyond what is required.

I offered them a ride simply as a courtesy.
3

adj
Provided free of charge as a polite gesture.

The hotel runs a courtesy bus to the airport.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 adj · provided free of charge as... complimentaryfree of chargegratis

Word family

Forms courtesies

Derived forms curtsey discourtesykill-courtesyovercourtesyuncourtesy

Appears in

Proverbs (3)

See all

Etymology

From Middle English curteisie, curtesie, from Anglo-Norman curtesie, from Old French curteisie, cortoisie. Equivalent to courteous + -y (abstract noun suffix). By surface analysis, court + -esy.

curteisie Middle English curtesie xno

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# courtesy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈkɝɾəsi/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkɜːtəsi/
**Frequency rank:** 5938

## Meanings
1. Polite and considerate behaviour.
2. A polite act or favour you do for someone, beyond what is required.
3. Provided free of charge as a polite gesture.

## Examples
- He always treats his customers with courtesy.
- I offered them a ride simply as a courtesy.
- The hotel runs a courtesy bus to the airport.

## Derived Forms
- curtsey
- discourtesy
- kill-courtesy
- overcourtesy
- uncourtesy

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: curteisie
- Root: curtesie

## Etymology
From Middle English curteisie, curtesie, from Anglo-Norman curtesie, from Old French curteisie, cortoisie. Equivalent to courteous + -y (abstract noun suffix). By surface analysis, court + -esy.

## AI Etymology
courtesy comes from Middle English curteisie, curtesie, from Anglo-Norman curtesie, from Old French curteisie, cortoisie. Equivalent to courteous + -y (abstract noun suffix). By surface analysis, court + -esy. The historical chain includes Middle English curteisie, xno curtesie, Old French curteisie. Current senses include Polite and considerate behaviour and A polite act or favour you do for someone, beyond what is required. English relatives and later formations include curtsey, discourtesy, kill-courtesy.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

markdown