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courtesy

[ kur-tuh-see or, for 5, kurt-see ]
/ ˈkɜr tə si or, for 5, ˈkɜrt si /
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See synonyms for: courtesy / courtesies on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural cour·te·sies.
adjective
done or performed as a matter of politeness or protocol: The council member paid a courtesy call on the mayor.
offered or provided free by the management: While waiting to board the airplane, we were provided with courtesy coffee.
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Idioms about courtesy

    courtesy of, from or given by: This tip comes courtesy of our inside source.

Origin of courtesy

First recorded in 1175–1225; from Middle English curteisie, from Anglo-French, from Old French; equivalent to courteous + -y3

OTHER WORDS FROM courtesy

o·ver·cour·te·sy, nounun·cour·te·sy, noun, plural un·cour·te·sies.

Words nearby courtesy

court dance, court dress, Courtelle, courteous, courtesan, courtesy, courtesy call, courtesy car, courtesy card, courtesy light, courtesy title
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to courtesy

civility, deference, generosity, kindness, reverence, sympathy, compassion, address, affability, amenities, amiability, attentiveness, ceremony, chivalry, comity, complaisance, consideration, cordiality, courtliness, cultivation

How to use courtesy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for courtesy

courtesy
/ (ˈkɜːtɪsɪ) /
noun plural -sies
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

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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