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Glite Dictionary
🤵 A respectful gesture 🤵 To bend in respect
to curtsy

to curtsy

7 6.5
To lower the body slightly by bending the knees as a polite greeting, often by women
  • verb
  • /ˈkɜrtsi/
translation icon : hacer una reverencia
  • I am curtsying to the Host, my Lady.
  • curtsied and smiled
  • curtsies and bows
  • curtsied deeply

By the way, you do not have to genuflect or curtsy, will you, when you meet the Queen?

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Examples

  • Every schoolgirl loves to curtsy to the Queen.

  • Isabelle curtsied, blushing at the absurdity of her gesture, which still somehow felt right.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • That means everybody has to curtsy to me... except maybe Grace Kelly.

    One, Two, Three (1961)

  • Nobody will curtsy to you.

    One, Two, Three (1961)

  • Do I bow or do I curtsy?

    The Crow (1994)

  • Then the little girl from the first scene stepped out before the audience and curtsied.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Shirley smiled to herself as she curtsied to the prince and walked into the royal kitchen.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • There's a wolf whistle from overhead, and applause, causing Elsa to curtsy to her admirers.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • When Katherine gathered her nerve and examined the maids, they all smiled and curtsied as if she were nobility.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Every schoolgirl loves to curtsy to the Queen.

Synonyms

to bow
vsto curtsy
132 1.7

To bend the head forward to show respect

involves lowering the lower body by bending the knees instead
to bow down
vsto curtsy
30 3.7

Lower your head or body to show respect, often as a sign that you obey someone

is mainly a physical knee bend for polite greeting not submission
to bob
vsto curtsy
  • Archaic
1 8.6

To bend the knees quickly as a sign of respect

is a slower more deliberate lower body gesture for polite greeting
to bow respectfully
vsto curtsy
1 3.9

Bend your upper body forward from the waist to show respect

focuses on bending knees rather than upper body for polite greeting

Antonyms

to stand
∞ 1.0

To be or put something in an upright position

How Respectful

to genuflect
  • Formal
5 9.9
to bow
132 1.7
to curtsy
7 6.5
to shake hands
138 1.0
to nod
442 1.0
to smile
∞ 1.0
wave
127 1.0

Surface Forms

curtsy infinitive
curtsied past
curtsied past participle
curtsying present participle
curtsies third person singular

Etymology

Curtsy (verb) comes from the word courtesy, meaning 'polite behavior' at a royal court. So to curtsy is to bend your knees in a small bow to show respect.