curtsy

American  

[kurt-see] / ˈkɜrt si /

Or curtsey

noun

plural

curtsies

1. a respectful bow made by women and girls, consisting of bending the knees and lowering the body.

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verb (used without object)

curtsied, curtsying

1. to make a curtsy.

curtsy British  

/ ˈkɜːtsɪ /

noun

1. a formal gesture of greeting and respect made by women in which the knees are bent, the head slightly bowed, and the skirt held outwards

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verb

1. (intr) to make a curtsy

Etymology

Origin of curtsy

First recorded in 1520–30; variant of courtesy

Explanation

A curtsy is an old-fashioned half-bow that shows extreme respect. A woman or girl is generally expected to curtsy when meeting the Queen of England. There aren't many opportunities these days to curtsy, stepping forward with one foot, slightly bending both knees, and lowering your head. You're much more likely to read a reference to a curtsy in an old book or observe an actor curtsy on a stage than to see people curtsy in real life. The word curtsy sounds a little bit like courtesy, and that's exactly where it comes from.

Example Sentences

Official Curtsy Why, the Japanese used to wonder, isn't our imperial family more like the Windsors?

From Time Magazine Archive

I dropped him a Curtsy, and gave him to understand that was his Audience of Leave.

From The Spectator, Volume 2. by Addison, Joseph

Curtsy, sweet hearts; and so the measure ends.

From Love's Labour's Lost by Shakespeare, William

Curtsy, Curtsey, kurt′si, n. an obeisance, made by bending the knees, proper to women and children.—v.i. to make a curtsy.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various