Definitions

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An act of civility, respect, or reverence, made by women, consisting of a slight depression or dropping of the body, with bending of the knees. Same as 2nd courtesy, n..
  • intransitive verb to perform a curtsy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A small bow, generally performed by a woman or a girl, where she crosses one calf of her leg behind the other and briefly bends her knees and lowers her body in deference.
  • verb To make a curtsey.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun bending the knees; a gesture of respect made by women
  • verb bend the knees in a gesture of respectful greeting

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Shortened from courtesy. This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

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Examples

Comments

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  • "If I go to the best room, there I find my host and his story: if I fly to the gallery, there we have my hostess with her curtsey down to the ground. "

    Goldsmith, She Stoops, III

    January 11, 2007