Also spelled courtesied, curtesy, curtsey, curtseyed, curtseying, and curtseys
noun
verb
Freq #37216
Meanings
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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.
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2
verb
to make a curtsy as a greeting or sign of respect
She curtsied when the royal guest entered the hall.
Thesaurus
Etymology
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.