curtsy


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curtsy

a girl’s or woman’s formal greeting made by bending the knees and lowering the body
Not to be confused with:
courtesy – politeness, kindness, consideration
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

curt·sy

or curt·sey  (kûrt′sē)
n. pl. curt·sies or curt·seys
A gesture of respect or reverence made chiefly by women by bending the knees with one foot forward and lowering the body.
intr.v. curt·sied, curt·sy·ing, curt·sies or curt·seyed or curt·sey·ing or curt·seys
To make a curtsy.

[Variant of courtesy.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

curtsy

(ˈkɜːtsɪ) or

curtsey

n, pl -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
vb, -sies, -sying, -sied, -seys, -seying or -seyed
(intr) to make a curtsy
[C16: variant of courtesy]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

curt•sy

(ˈkɜrt si)

n., pl. -sies, n.
1. a respectful bow made by women, consisting of bending the knees and lowering the body.
v.i.
2. to make a curtsy.
[1520–30; variant of courtesy]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

curtsy


Past participle: curtsied
Gerund: curtsying

Imperative
curtsy
curtsy
Present
I curtsy
you curtsy
he/she/it curtsies
we curtsy
you curtsy
they curtsy
Preterite
I curtsied
you curtsied
he/she/it curtsied
we curtsied
you curtsied
they curtsied
Present Continuous
I am curtsying
you are curtsying
he/she/it is curtsying
we are curtsying
you are curtsying
they are curtsying
Present Perfect
I have curtsied
you have curtsied
he/she/it has curtsied
we have curtsied
you have curtsied
they have curtsied
Past Continuous
I was curtsying
you were curtsying
he/she/it was curtsying
we were curtsying
you were curtsying
they were curtsying
Past Perfect
I had curtsied
you had curtsied
he/she/it had curtsied
we had curtsied
you had curtsied
they had curtsied
Future
I will curtsy
you will curtsy
he/she/it will curtsy
we will curtsy
you will curtsy
they will curtsy
Future Perfect
I will have curtsied
you will have curtsied
he/she/it will have curtsied
we will have curtsied
you will have curtsied
they will have curtsied
Future Continuous
I will be curtsying
you will be curtsying
he/she/it will be curtsying
we will be curtsying
you will be curtsying
they will be curtsying
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been curtsying
you have been curtsying
he/she/it has been curtsying
we have been curtsying
you have been curtsying
they have been curtsying
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been curtsying
you will have been curtsying
he/she/it will have been curtsying
we will have been curtsying
you will have been curtsying
they will have been curtsying
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been curtsying
you had been curtsying
he/she/it had been curtsying
we had been curtsying
you had been curtsying
they had been curtsying
Conditional
I would curtsy
you would curtsy
he/she/it would curtsy
we would curtsy
you would curtsy
they would curtsy
Past Conditional
I would have curtsied
you would have curtsied
he/she/it would have curtsied
we would have curtsied
you would have curtsied
they would have curtsied
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.curtsy - bending the kneescurtsy - bending the knees; a gesture of respect made by women
reverence - an act showing respect (especially a bow or curtsy)
motion, gesture - the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
Verb1.curtsy - bend the knees in a gesture of respectful greeting
bow - bend the head or the upper part of the body in a gesture of respect or greeting; "He bowed before the King"
2.curtsy - make a curtsy; usually done only by girls and women; as a sign of respect; "She curtsied when she shook the Queen's hand"
greet, recognise, recognize - express greetings upon meeting someone
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

curtsy

noun
An inclination of the head or body, as in greeting, consent, courtesy, submission, or worship:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
poklonaúklonauklonit se
nejenejen
meghajlás
hnébeyging kvenna, hneiginghneigja sig
kniksaspadaryti kniksąreveransastūpsnis
reveransstaisīt reveransu
úklonukloniť sa
reveransreverans yapmak

curtsy

curtsey [ˈkɜːrtsi]
nrévérence f
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

curtsy

curtsey [ˈkɜːtsɪ]
1. ninchino, riverenza
2. vifare un inchino or una riverenza
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

curtsy,

curtsey

(ˈkəːtsi) plural ˈcurtsies noun
a bow made by women by bending the knees.
verb
to make a curtsy. She curtsied to the queen.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
When at last, smartly whirling his partner round in front of her chair, he drew up with a click of his spurs and bowed to her, Natasha did not even make him a curtsy. She fixed her eyes on him in amazement, smiling as if she did not recognize him.
"Yes, your Highness," was the reply, as Jinjur dropped a low curtsy. And Dorothy looked wonderingly at this lively appearing person, who had once assembled an army of women and driven the Scarecrow from the throne of the Emerald City, and even fought a battle with the powerful army of Glinda the Sorceress.
Upon that, my godmother said, "You may go upstairs, Esther!" And I made him my curtsy and left him.
His lordship gave me an indulgent look and acknowledged my curtsy very graciously.
She stopped at the bottom of the steep, broad flight of stairs; but we looked back as we went up, and she was still there, saying, still with a curtsy and a smile between every little sentence, "Youth.
Luise Ivanovna made haste to curtsy almost to the ground, and with mincing little steps, she fluttered out of the office.
The scene had a greatness that made it a different affair from my own scant home, and there immediately appeared at the door, with a little girl in her hand, a civil person who dropped me as decent a curtsy as if I had been the mistress or a distinguished visitor.
A smile, a slight blush, and curtsy, concluded the interview; and the young ladies hastily left the shop.
Dorothy nodded gravely and the Queen made a curtsy, after which she became quite friendly with the little girl.
There was hardly a bedroom in the house where feminine compliments were not passing and feminine toilettes going forward, in various stages, in space made scanty by extra beds spread upon the floor; and Miss Nancy, as she entered the Blue Room, had to make her little formal curtsy to a group of six.
But Miss Nancy had no sooner made her curtsy than an elderly lady came forward, whose full white muslin kerchief, and mob-cap round her curls of smooth grey hair, were in daring contrast with the puffed yellow satins and top-knotted caps of her neighbours.
When Prince Charles takes the throne and Prince William becomes the Prince of Wales, Kate Middleton will take the title "Princess of Wales." Although the shake-up in the line of succession will not happen unless Queen Elizabeth dies, many royal followers already wonder if Meghan Markle will have to curtsy to Kate when she adopts her new title.