courtesy
[kur-tuh-see or for 5, kurt-see]
- excellence of manners or social conduct; polite behavior.
- a courteous, respectful, or considerate act or expression.
- indulgence, consent, or acquiescence: a “colonel” by courtesy rather than by right.
- favor, help, or generosity: The costumes for the play were by courtesy of the local department store.
- a curtsy.
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- done or performed as a matter of courtesy or protocol: a courtesy call on the mayor.
- offered or provided free by courtesy of the management: While waiting to board the airplane, we were provided with courtesy coffee.
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Origin of courtesy
Synonyms for courtesy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for courtesies
sympathy, civility, generosity, reverence, deference, kindness, compassion, chivalry, amiability, address, culture, respect, indulgence, thoughtfulness, ceremony, gentleness, familiarity, solicitude, elegance, favorExamples from the Web for courtesies
Contemporary Examples of courtesies
Everyday Muslim courtesies must be followed, even as infidels are cut down.
This time when he was brought to the station in handcuffs there were no courtesies, no cups of chai.
Historical Examples of courtesies
But we felt that we were returning like detected impostors, and we had no heart for their courtesies.
In the ValleyHarold Frederic
I had no stomach for the courtesies that were meant for such a man as I was not.
The Shame of MotleyRaphael Sabatini
Out I went in a fusillade of courtesies and sought a chauffeur.
Your courtesies to me have been the measure of your bad luck for many a day.
Sir Brook Fossbrooke, Volume II.Charles James Lever
Courtesies at this time were showered upon Lady George from all sides.
Is He Popenjoy?Anthony Trollope
courtesy
- politeness; good manners
- a courteous gesture or remark
- favour or consent (esp in the phrase by courtesy of)
- common consent as opposed to right (esp in the phrase by courtesy)See also courtesy title
- (ˈkɜːtsɪ) an archaic spelling of curtsy
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Word Origin for courtesy
C13 curteisie, from Old French, from corteis courteous
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for courtesies
courtesy
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper