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curtsy

[kurt-see]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR curtsy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural curt·sies.

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

verb (used without object), curt·sied, curt·sy·ing.

to make a curtsy.

Origin of curtsy

First recorded in 1520–30; variant of courtesy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for curtsied

respond, acknowledge, greet, bow, bend, salute, nod, hunch, attend, receive, stop, hail, accost, embrace, address, meet, approach, concur, acquiesce, curtsy

Examples from the Web for curtsied

Historical Examples of curtsied

  • She curtsied low, and put her hand under mine and raised my hand and kissed it.

  • Genevive curtsied with a puzzled air and a sidelong glance at her sister.

    The Suitors of Yvonne

    Raphael Sabatini

  • He bowed again; and again he bore her fingers to his lips, what time she curtsied.

    Scaramouche

    Rafael Sabatini

  • Is your chilling salute when we met—I half believe you curtsied—nothing?

    Lord Kilgobbin

    Charles Lever

  • Miss Milner curtsied, as much as to say, he was welcome to come.

    A Simple Story

    Mrs. Inchbald

British Dictionary definitions for curtsied

curtsy

curtsey

noun plural -sies or -seys

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

verb -sies, -sying, -sied, -seys, -seying or -seyed

(intr) to make a curtsy

Word Origin for curtsy

C16: variant of courtesy
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
Word Origin and History for curtsied

curtsy

v.

1550s, from curtsy (n.). Related: Curtsied; curtsying.

curtsy

n.

1540s, "expression of respect," a variant of courtesy (q.v.). Specific meaning "a bending the knee and lowering the body as a gesture of respect" is from 1570s. Originally not exclusively feminine.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper