Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense curtsies, present participle curtsying, past tense, past participle curtsied
verb
If a woman or a girl curtsies, she lowers her body briefly, bending her knees and sometimes holding her skirt with both hands, as a way of showing respect for an important person.
We were taught how to curtsy to the Queen. [VERB + to]
Ingrid shook the Duchess's hand and curtsied. [VERB]
Curtsy is also a noun.
She gave a curtsy.
curtsy in British English
or curtsey (ˈkɜːtsɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-sies or -seys
1.
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
verbWord forms: -sies, -sying, -sied, -seys, -seying or -seyed
2. (intransitive)
to make a curtsy
Word origin
C16: variant of courtesy
curtsy in American English
(ˈkɜrtsi)
nounWord forms: pluralˈcurtsies
1.
a gesture of greeting, respect, etc. made, esp. formerly, by girls and women andcharacterized by a bending of the knees and a slight lowering of the body
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈcurtsied or ˈcurtsying
2.
to make a curtsy
Also sp. ˈcurtsey
Word origin
var. of courtesy
Examples of 'curtsy' in a sentence
curtsy
"Welcome to Karien, your Highness," she said with a deep curtsy.
Jennifer Fallon TREASON KEEP (2001)
Inside the house a maid bobbed in curtsy to indicate that Grace should follow her upstairs.