curtsy

[kurt-see]

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. 2018

Related Words for curtsies

obeisance, bow, bob, dip, gesture, curtsey

Examples from the Web for curtsies

Historical Examples of curtsies

The poor creature, I warrant, was as full of curtsies, as if I had been her godmother.
The Comedies of William Congreve
William Congreve
Come along all of you, and make your best bows and curtsies.
The Mirror of Taste, and Dramatic Censor, Vol. I, No. 6, June 1810
Various
She curtsies with a languishing air, as if to say, 'You are come at last.
The History of Henry Esmond, Esq.
W. M. Thackeray
Chord from the harmonium—the Child advances, and curtsies with much aplomb.
Mr. Punch at the Seaside
Various
She curtsies to Graeme and with a warning look at Granahan goes into room.
The Turn of the Road
Rutherford Mayne

British Dictionary definitions for curtsies

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 curtsies

curtsy

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

curtsy

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.