Meanings
plural curtsies · plural curtseys · alternative curtsy · alternative courtsey · alternative 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.
3 more examples
Wid. I take my leaue with many thouſand thankes. / Rich. The Match is made, ſhee ſeales it with a Curſie.
c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 159, column 2[I]t was her favorite amusement to array herself in the faded brocades, and parade up and down before the long mirror, making stately courtesies, and sweeping her train about, with a rustle which delighted her ears.
1868–1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, “Amy’s Will”, in Little Women: […], (please specify |part=1 or 2), Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC, page 284No caps were touched, no curtseys bobbed.
1928, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter II, in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, [Germany?]: Privately printed, →OCLC
present singular third person curtseys · present singular third person curtsies · participle present curtseying · participle past curtseyed · past curtseyed · alternative curtsy · alternative courtsey · alternative courtesy
- To make a curtsey.
The hotel's staff never curtsied, nodded, or bowed to the owner as she passed, as they were staunch egalitarians.
5 more examples
"I’m sure you’ll excuse me, sir," said Mrs Varden, rising and curtseying.
1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 19.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLCOn the other hand, Mrs. Ladbrook was standing in skull-cap and front, with her turban in her hand, curtsying and smiling blandly[…]
1861, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XI, in Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, part I, page 180'I be as nothing in the eyes of my lord,' and she curtseyed towards him[…]
1887, H[enry] Rider Haggard, chapter XVI, in Allan Quatermain […], London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC1890, James Russell Lowell, Address in Publications of the Modern Language Association of America But DANTE was a great genius, and language curtseys to its natural Kings.
1903, W.E.B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk He curtsied low, and then bowed almost to the ground, with an imperturbable gravity that seemed almost suspicious.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchcurteisie
- Anglo-Normancurtesie
- Middle Englishcurteisie
- Englishcurtsey
Variant of courtesy (1525) (from court + -esy), from Middle English curteisie, curtesie, from Anglo-Norman curtesie, from Old French curteisie, cortoisie.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian ревера́нс, правя реверанс
- ревера́нс (reveráns)small bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- правя реверанс (pravja reverans)to make a curtsey
Chinese Mandarin 屈膝禮 /屈膝礼
- 屈膝禮 /屈膝礼 (qūxīlǐ)small bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
Czech pukrle, úklona
- pukrlesmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- úklonasmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
Danish kniks, nej
- knikssmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- nejsmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- nejningsmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- nejeto make a curtsey
Dutch nijging, nijgen
- nijgingsmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- nijgento make a curtsey
Finnish niiaus, niiata
- niiaussmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- niiatato make a curtsey
French révérence, faire la révérence
- révérencesmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- faire la révérenceto make a curtsey
- révérencierto make a curtsey
German Knicks, knicksen
- Knickssmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- knicksento make a curtsey
Hungarian pukedli, pukedlizik
- pukedlismall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- pukedlizikto make a curtsey
Icelandic hneiging, hnébeyging
- hneigingsmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- hnébeygingsmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- hneigja sig í hnjáliðunumto make a curtsey
Irish umhlú
- umhlúsmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
Italian riverenza, inchino
- riverenzasmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- inchinosmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- fare la riverenzato make a curtsey
- fare l'inchinoto make a curtsey
Japanese おじぎ
- おじぎ (ojigi)small bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
Korean 인사
- 인사 (insa)small bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
Norwegian neie
- neieto make a curtsey
Polish dygnięcie, dyg
- dygnięciesmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- dygsmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- dygaćto make a curtsey
- dygnąćto make a curtsey
Portuguese cortesia, reverência
- cortesiasmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- reverênciasmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- cortejarto make a curtsey
Romanian reverență
- reverențăsmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
Russian ревера́нс, кни́ксен
- ревера́нс (reveráns)small bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- кни́ксен (kníksɛn)small bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- приседа́ние (prisedánije)small bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
Slovak pukrlík, úklon
- pukrlíksmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- úklonsmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
Spanish reverencia, inclinarse
- reverenciasmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- inclinarseto make a curtsey
- hacer una reverenciato make a curtsey
Swedish nigning, knix
- nigningsmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- knixsmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- nigato make a curtsey
Thai ถอนสายบัว
- ถอนสายบัวto make a curtsey
Turkish reverans, reverans yapmak
- reveranssmall bow of knees and lowered body, usually by a female
- reverans yapmakto make a curtsey
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
curtsey. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curtsey
“curtsey.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curtsey. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “curtsey,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curtsey.
Source: curtsey on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.