curtsy

noun curt·sy \ ˈkərt-sē \

variants: or less commonly curtsey

Updated on: 12 May 2018

Definition of curtsy

plural curtsies also curtseys

: 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

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See curtsy defined for kids

Recent Examples of curtsy from the Web

That’s why doing forward and reverse lunges (as well as lunges in other planes of motion, like lateral lunges or curtsy lunges) is an important part of a well-rounded training program.

— SELF, "Why This Lunge Series from Candace Cameron-Bure’s Trainer is Such a Good Leg Workout," 1 May 2018
With a flurry of barks and a final curtsy, Harry and Meghan bade their farewells, swiftly leaving the palace before the royal gossip factory was able to get into gear.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "What Really Happened When Meghan Markle Had Tea with the Queen," 16 Apr. 2018
And to top it all off, gave quite the little curtsy for the stupendous feat, which was met with thunderous applause from people inside the gastropub.

— kristin corpuz, Teen Vogue, "Boston Man Dressed as Elsa from “Frozen” Helps Push Police Wagon Out of Snow," 14 Mar. 2018
Curtsey Lunge to Side Lunge Stand with feet together; step left foot behind right leg, and at the same time, drop your right knee into a lunge position as if doing a curtsy.

— Health.com, "This Super-Fun, Strength-Based Cardio Dance Workout Will Make You Forget You Are Exercising," 8 Mar. 2018
From a pre-Christmas lunch celebration in London last week to Christmas Eve tea, and, of course, the Christmas day church service (complete with a curtsy!), Meghan had many royal traditions to learn to this year.

— maggie maloney, Town & Country, "Prince Harry Spills the Details on Meghan Markle's First Royal Christmas," 27 Dec. 2017
Protocol also dictates that Markle is suppose to curtsy to Prince William and Duchess Kate, due to William's position in line for the throne.

— maggie maloney, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Just Experienced Her First Royal Curtsy," 18 Jan. 2018
After the last debutante made her way around the floor, the young ladies did an in-unison curtsy, followed by the first dance with fathers or family escorts to music from Deacon John, who played for the rest of the night.

— sue strachan, NOLA.com, "Mid-Winter Cotillion presents 20 debutantes in 2017," 6 Jan. 2018
Curtsy lunge Start from standing, step one leg behind your other leg and squat, as if performing a curtsy.

— julie mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, "Work Off Those Pumpkin Spice Latte Calories with This ‘PSL’ Workout," 5 Sep. 2017

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.

First Known Use of curtsy

1533

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

curtsy

verb

variants: or less commonly curtsey

Definition of curtsy

curtsied also curtseyed; curtsying also curtseying

intransitive verb

: to make a curtsy

Recent Examples of curtsy from the Web

As seen above, both Markle and her soon-to-be sister-in-law Duchess Kate curtsied to the Queen outside St. Mary Magdalene church.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Makes Her First Public Curtsy on Christmas Day," 25 Dec. 2017
While leaving this afternoon's Commonwealth Day service, Meghan Markle met several adorable children, one of whom gave her a bouquet of flowers and appears to have curtsied while greeting her.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "An Adorable Little Girl Just Curtsied Like a Total Pro For Meghan Markle," 12 Mar. 2018
Tiffany Haddish just jumped in front of Meryl Streep on the #Oscars carpet and curtsied pic.twitter.com/uqGTqRGW1b — Mia Galuppo (@miagaluppo) March 5, 2018 Haddish also said something to Streep, but the words were unfortunately indecipherable.

— amanda arnold, The Cut, "Tiffany Haddish Curtsied For Meryl Streep on Red Carpet," 4 Mar. 2018
Now’s your chance to curtsy to the queen and princess at a royal greeting inside the Arendelle castle at the Disney Animation building on Hollywood Boulevard.

— Sunset, "5 Ways to Get Your Frozen Fix at Disneyland Resort," 22 Jan. 2018
When meeting the Queen or any member of the royal family, the traditional protocol is for men to bow from the neck only and for women to curtsy, per the royal family’s website.

— lyndsey matthews, Cosmopolitan, "Oops! She Did It Again: Meghan Markle Breaks Royal Protocol," 14 Feb. 2018
As People reports, Markle should also curtsy to Princess Anne, Beatrice, and Eugenie if Prince Harry is not with her, and any foreign royals who outrank her.

— maggie maloney, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Just Experienced Her First Royal Curtsy," 18 Jan. 2018
In addition to Queen Elizabeth, Meier says Meghan will be expected to curtsy to Prince Philip, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Duchess of Cornwall.

— erin hill, PEOPLE.com, "Meghan Markle Just Received Her First Curtsy — One Month After She Debuted Her Own to the Queen!," 18 Jan. 2018
According to royal protocol, Markle is expected to curtsy to the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, and Duchess Camilla.

— maggie maloney, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Just Experienced Her First Royal Curtsy," 18 Jan. 2018

Origin and Etymology of curtsy

alteration of courtesy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1553

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

CURTSY Defined for English Language Learners

curtsy

noun

Definition of curtsy for English Language Learners

: 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