courtesy

American  

[kur-tuh-see, kurt-see] / ˈkɜr tə si, ˈkɜrt si /

noun

plural

courtesies

1. excellence of manners or social conduct; polite behavior.

   Her unfailing courtesy made her easy to work with.

   Synonyms:

   urbanity, civility, courteousness

2. a courteous, respectful, or considerate act or expression.

3. indulgence, consent, or acquiescence.

   He is a “colonel” by courtesy rather than by right.

4. favor, help, or generosity.

   The costumes for the play were by courtesy of the local department store.

5. a curtsy.

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adjective

1. done or performed as a matter of politeness or protocol.

   The council member paid a courtesy call on the mayor.

2. offered or provided free by the management.

   While waiting to board the airplane, we were provided with courtesy coffee.

idioms

1. courtesy of, from or given by.

   This tip comes courtesy of our inside source.

courtesy British  

/ ˈkɜːtɪsɪ /

noun

1. politeness; good manners

2. a courteous gesture or remark

3. favour or consent (esp in the phrase by courtesy of )

4. common consent as opposed to right (esp in the phrase by courtesy ) See also courtesy title

5. an archaic spelling of curtsy

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Other Word Forms

• overcourtesy noun
• uncourtesy noun

Etymology

Origin of courtesy

First recorded in 1175–1225; from Middle English curteisie, from Anglo-French, from Old French; equivalent to courteous ( def. ) + -y ³ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Ideas for improving office life, courtesy of those who have to work in them.

From The Wall Street Journal

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is working with the tech companies to develop a virtual replica of CFS’s nuclear fusion machine, courtesy of Nvidia’s and Siemens’s AI and industrial software might.

From The Wall Street Journal

The biggest sale of the day came courtesy of Chief Scientific Officer John Robinson, who sold 90,000 shares for $38.74 each.

From Barron's

In September he greeted his uncle who had been deported without any possessions to provide him with a backpack of essentials, courtesy of a grassroots mutual aid project, the Ba Lô Project.

From Salon

Benin's three points, courtesy of a solitary 1-0 win over Botswana, are enough for them to go through as one of the best third-placed teams.

From Barron's

Related Words

• civility
• deference
• generosity
• kindness
• reverence
• sympathy