Skip to main content
curtsy

curtsy

6 6.2
A polite gesture of bending the knees and lowering the body, often by women
  • noun
  • /ˈkɜrtsi/
: reverencia
  • The young girl performed a curtsy when she greeted the visiting dignitary.
  • made a curtsy
  • bobbed a curtsy
  • dropped deep curtsies

The theme in the in last week's drop, when she mocked that curtsy to the Queen, there's a reason that went viral.

Examples

Synonyms

bow
vscurtsy
74 1.0

An act of bending the head forward to show respect

involves a lower-body knee bend rather than just a head or torso tilt
salute
vscurtsy
  • Formal
74 4.0

A formal gesture showing respect, like raising a hand or bowing

is a gendered knee-bend greeting rather than a formal ceremonial signal
bowing
vscurtsy
8 2.7

Bending the head or upper body forward to show respect

uses knee bending and lowers the whole body rather than only upper body
reverence
vscurtsy
2 6.0

A bow or action that shows deep respect to someone

is a single specific lower-body gesture rather than a general attitude or act
scrape
vscurtsy
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A deep formal bow made by moving one foot back to show respect

is a knee bending lower-body greeting gesture usually performed by women
scraping
vscurtsy
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A deep bow made by moving one foot back to show respect

is a knee bending lower-body greeting gesture usually performed by women

How Respectful

genuflection
1 9.9
bow
74 1.0
curtsy
6 6.2
handshake
116 1.0
to nod
521 1.0
smile
∞ 1.0
wave
54 1.0

Surface Forms

curtsy singular
curtsies plural

Etymology

Curtsy comes from the same root as courtesy, which means 'polite behavior' at a royal court. So a curtsy is a small, polite bow made by bending the knees to show respect.