curtsey
English
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curtsey
- /ˈkɝtsɪ/ US
- /ˈkɜːtsɪ/ UK
- /ˈkʌɾtsɪ/ Scotland
Where it comes from
Variant of courtesy (1525) (from court + -esy), from Middle English curteisie, curtesie, from Anglo-Norman curtesie, from Old French curteisie, cortoisie.
noun curtsies · curtseys · curtsy · courtsey · courtesy
- A small bow, generally performed by a woman or a girl, where she crosses the shin of one leg behind the calf of her other leg and briefly bends her knees to lower her body in deference. I refused to make so much as a curtsey for the passing nobles, as I am a staunch egalitarian.
verb curtseys · curtsies · curtseying · curtseyed · curtsy
- To make a curtsey. The hotel's staff never curtsied, nodded, or bowed to the owner as she passed, as they were staunch egalitarians.
Translations
Every language
noun small bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
| Español | reverencia |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 인사 insa |
| 日本語 | おじぎ ojigi |
| 中文 | 屈膝禮 /屈膝礼 qūxīlǐ |
| Português | cortesia, reverência |
| Français | révérence |
| Deutsch | Knicks |
| Italiano | riverenza, inchino |
| Română | reverență |
| Русский | ревера́нс reveráns, кни́ксен kníksɛn, приседа́ние prisedánije |
verb to make a curtsey
| Español | inclinarse, hacer una reverencia |
|---|---|
| Português | cortejar |
| Français | faire la révérence, révérencier |
| Deutsch | knicksen |
| Italiano | fare la riverenza, fare l'inchino |
Talk about this word "curtsey." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/curtsey. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. curtsey. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/curtsey "curtsey." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/curtsey.Cite this
@misc{curtsey_2026,
title = {curtsey},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/curtsey},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
