CURTSEY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does curtsey mean? 

• CURTSEY (noun)
  The noun CURTSEY has 1 sense:

1. bending the knees; a gesture of respect made by women

  Familiarity information: CURTSEY used as a noun is very rare.

• CURTSEY (verb)
  The verb CURTSEY has 1 sense:

1. bend the knees in a gesture of respectful greeting

  Familiarity information: CURTSEY used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CURTSEY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Bending the knees; a gesture of respect made by women

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

curtsey; curtsy

Hypernyms ("curtsey" is a kind of...):

reverence (an act showing respect (especially a bow or curtsy))

gesture; motion (the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals)

Derivation:

curtsey (bend the knees in a gesture of respectful greeting)

• CURTSEY (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they curtsey    ... he / she / it curtseys   
Past simple: curtseyed   
Past participle: curtseyed   
-ing form: curtseying   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Bend the knees in a gesture of respectful greeting

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

curtsey; curtsy

Hypernyms (to "curtsey" is one way to...):

bow (bend the head or the upper part of the body in a gesture of respect or greeting)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

curtsey (bending the knees; a gesture of respect made by women)

 Context examples 

Peggotty, with some uneasy glances at me, curtseyed herself out of the room without replying; seeing, I suppose, that she was expected to go, and had no excuse for remaining.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I rose and curtseyed to them: one or two bent their heads in return, the others only stared at me.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Elizabeth merely curtseyed to him without saying a word.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

“Gramercy for your rede, young sir!” she said, with a little curtsey.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

She curtseyed with a smile to Mr. Holmes, but glanced with some apprehension at the figure upon the sofa.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

She was introduced here and there by her uncle, and forced to be spoken to, and to curtsey, and speak again.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

She could not distinguish, but she must guess the subject; and on Captain Wentworth's making a distant bow, she comprehended that her father had judged so well as to give him that simple acknowledgement of acquaintance, and she was just in time by a side glance to see a slight curtsey from Elizabeth herself.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Whenever I see her, she always curtseys and asks me how I do, in a very pretty manner; and when you have had her here to do needlework, I observe she always turns the lock of the door the right way and never bangs it.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

With these words, Mrs. Crupp, affecting to be very careful of the brandy—which was all gone—thanked me with a majestic curtsey, and retired.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

"Too much noise, Grace," said Mrs. Fairfax. "Remember directions!" Grace curtseyed silently and went in.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)