curtsy

noun

curt·sy | \ ˈkərt-sē

variants: or less commonly curtsey

plural curtsies also curtseys

Definition of curtsy

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an act of civility, respect, or reverence made mainly by women and consisting of a slight lowering of the body with bending of the knees

curtsy

verb

variants: or less commonly curtsey

curtsied also curtseyed; curtsying also curtseying

Definition of curtsy (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to make a curtsy

Examples of curtsy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

For example, when the couple joined the rest of the royal family in attending the Trooping the Colour celebration in June, Prince Harry could be seen telling Markle when to curtsy. — Andrea Park, Glamour, "Meghan Markle Is Reportedly Finding Some Royal Rules 'A Little Frustrating'," 18 July 2018 The reverse lunges in particular work your quads and glutes; the curtsy lunges hit the outside of your glutes; and the lateral lunges target your inner thigh muscles, says Oprea. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "All You Need Is a Pair of Socks to Do This 15-Minute Total-Body Workout From Carrie Underwood’s Trainer," 13 Dec. 2018 However, she was spotted last summer giving a mini curtsy to diplomats while on a royal tour with her parents. — Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, "Prince George and Princess Charlotte must bow, curtsy to Queen Elizabeth by age 5, report says," 31 July 2018 The president and first lady appeared not to have followed long-running protocol in which a bow or curtsy is customary. — Katie Rogers, New York Times, "From Truman to Trump, Queen Elizabeth Has Met 12 U.S. Presidents," 13 July 2018 And this morning, the future royal added another milestone to that list: Markle received a curtsy for the first time in public. — Maggie Maloney, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Just Experienced Her First Royal Curtsy," 18 Jan. 2018 Meghan has had months of practice to get her curtsy down pat. — Jodi Guglielmi, PEOPLE.com, "The Hidden Moment You May Have Missed Between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on the Palace Balcony," 12 June 2018 For men, that means greeting a royal with a bow, and for women, a small curtsy, according to the Royal household. — Maggie Maloney, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Just Experienced Her First Royal Curtsy," 18 Jan. 2018 Rather the 27 young ladies, who elegantly nailed their curtsies June 16 during California Pacific Medical Center’s 54th San Francisco Debutante Ball at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, were focused on college and philanthropy. — Catherine Bigelow, SFChronicle.com, "A bumper crop of 27 debutantes make SF debut," 25 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Once William is on the throne as King, and his wife Kate becomes Queen Consort, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be expected to bow and curtsy to them at all formal events as a sign of respect for their new titles and roles in the monarchy. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "This is When Meghan Markle Will Have to Start Curtsying to Her Close Friend, Kate Middleton," 22 Aug. 2018 Getty ImagesAnwar Hussein Collection Kate immediately curtsied to Will, which is fair since that's technically how she was supposed to greet royalty. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Prince William and Kate Middleton's First Meeting Was Intensely Awkward," 18 Aug. 2018 Per the royal family's handbook, when greeting a member of the royal household (especially the Queen) men are supposed to bow with their neck and women are to politely curtsy. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "10 Ways the Royal Family Has Majorly Broken Royal Protocol," 3 Aug. 2018 In addition to Queen Elizabeth, Myka Meier, founder and director of Beaumont Etiquette, says Meghan will be expected to curtsy to Prince Philip, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Duchess of Cornwall. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE.com, "See the Moment Meghan and Kate Perfectly Curtsy to the Queen on the Balcony of Buckingham Palace," 9 June 2018 Harry was spotted adorably prompting Meghan when to curtsy upon his grandmother’s official arrival. — Jodi Guglielmi, PEOPLE.com, "The Hidden Moment You May Have Missed Between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on the Palace Balcony," 12 June 2018 The Trumps did not appear to bow and curtsy upon greeting the Queen. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Tea With Queen Elizabeth II and a Giant Baby Trump—a President's London Itinerary," 13 July 2018 Members of the royal family, however, have explicit rules dictating who curtsies to whom. — Malia Wollan, New York Times, "How to Curtsy," 9 May 2018 After curtsying to the monarch during the the royal procession alongside her daughter Princess Beatrice and her ex-husband, the 58-year-old was photographed chatting with the Queen. — Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, "Back in the Fold, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Spent Ascot in the Royal Box," 22 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'curtsy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near curtsy

Curtius

Curtius rearrangement

Statistics for curtsy

Last Updated

4 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for curtsy

The first known use of curtsy was in 1533

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More Definitions for curtsy

curtsy

noun

English Language Learners Definition of curtsy

: a formal way of greeting an important person (such as a king or queen) in which a woman shows respect by placing one foot slightly behind the other and bending her knees

See the full definition for curtsy in the English Language Learners Dictionary

curtsy

verb

curt·sy

variants: also curtsey \ ˈkərt-sē \

curtsied also curtseyed; curtsying also curtseying