curtsy

[ kurt-see ]

/ ˈkɜrt si /

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.

Words related to curtsy

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

Words nearby curtsy

curtin, curtis, curtiss, curtius, curtsey, curtsy, curule, curule chair, curvaceous, curvature, curvature aberration

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

Examples from the Web for curtsied

Mrs. Roby curtsied, and then remembered that in these days only housemaids ought to curtsey.
The Prime Minister|Anthony Trollope
Her confusion was so great, she knew not how to receive me; she curtsied, without knowing what to say, or how to behave.
Memoirs of Miss Sidney Biddulph|Frances Sheridan
She saw him and darted from the line and curtsied before him.
The Chapter Ends|Poul William Anderson
He came very quietly through the open kitchen-door, and curtsied when he entered, but no one took any notice of him.
From a Swedish Homestead|Selma Lagerlf

When Statira appeared the house shouted welcome; she turned her eyes up at Rose Lyndwood as she curtsied.
The Rake's Progress|Marjorie Bowen

British Dictionary definitions for curtsied

curtsy

curtsey

/ (ˈkɜːtsɪ) /

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