curtsy

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a formal gesture of greeting or respect made by bending the knees and lowering the body

   The dancer finished with a small curtsy to the audience.

2. 2
   verb

   to make a curtsy as a greeting or sign of respect

   She curtsied when the royal guest entered the hall.

Simplified etymology

Curtsey arose in the early 16th century as a shortened form of courtesy. Courtesy entered Middle English from the same root as courteous, which derives from Old French corteis, based on cort, meaning court.

An alteration of courtesy, with the middle syllables reduced in speech. Courtesy once named both respectful behavior and a respectful gesture; curtsy became the specialized form for the knee-bending salutation. Curtsey and the older curtesy are spelling variants.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary