courtesy

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is pronounced ker-tǝsi. It is widely used attributively, qualifying nouns in the contexts of services that are (if only supposedly) provided as a courtesy to the clients or would-be clients of an organization, e.g. a courtesy car is one provided in place of a customer's existing car when this is unavailable for some reason. A courtesy visit is one made unbidden and—most notoriously of all—a courtesy (telephone) call is an unsolicited sales or marketing call that is at best only nominally courteous. This usage is a typical instance of disingenuous favourable labelling by the world of advertising and marketing of activities that would be more immediately rejected if they were given names that were more apposite.

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noun

1. Well-mannered behavior toward others: civility, courteousness, genteelness, gentility, mannerliness, politeness, politesse. See courtesy/discourtesy.
2. A courteous act or courteous acts that contribute to smoothness and ease in dealings and social relationships amenity (used in plural), civility, pleasantry, politeness, propriety (used in plural). See courtesy/discourtesy.
3. An act requiring special generosity: beau geste, compliment, favor. See give/take/reciprocity.

n

Definition: favor, indulgence
Antonyms: discourtesy, disfavor, disregard

n

Definition: good manners
Antonyms: bad manners, discourtesy, impoliteness, pompousness, rudeness, unmannerliness

IN BRIEF: Good manners.

All doors open to courtesy. — Thomas Fuller (1608-1661).

Tutor's tip: A "curtsy" (bending of the knees as a formal bow made by women) is an old-fashioned "courtesy" (polite behavior).

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Quotes:

"If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world." - Francis Bacon

"He who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love." - St. Basil

"The small courtesies sweeten life; the greater ennoble it." - Christian Nevell Bovee

"Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart." - Henry Clay

"It is wise to apply the oil of refined politeness to the mechanism of friendship." - Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

"We must be as courteous to a man as we are to a picture, which we are willing to give the advantage of a good light." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

See more famous quotes about Courtesy

For a list of words related to courtesy, see:

• Customs, Formalities, and Practices - courtesy: rules of appropriate conduct in legal proceedings; favors and allowances granted by one lawyer to another

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See words rhyming with "courtesy."

Dansk (Danish)
n. - høflig adfærd, høflighed
adj. - høfligheds-

idioms:

• courtesy call    høflighedsvisit
• courtesy light    automatisk kabinelys i bil

Nederlands (Dutch)
hoffelijkheid, beleefdheid

Français (French)
n. - courtoisie, politesse, permission
adj. - de courtoisie, de politesse, gratuit

idioms:

• courtesy call    visite de courtoisie
• courtesy light    plafonnier

Deutsch (German)
n. - Höflichkeit
adj. - Höflichkeits...

idioms:

• courtesy call    Höflichkeitsbesuch
• courtesy light    Innenleuchte

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αβρότητα (συμπεριφοράς), ευγένεια

idioms:

• courtesy call    επίσκεψη αβροφροσύνης
• courtesy light    πλαφονιέρα σαλονιού αυτοκινήτου

Italiano (Italian)
cortesia

idioms:

• courtesy call    visita di cortesia
• courtesy light    segnale di svolta

Português (Portuguese)
n. - cortesia (f), favor (m)

idioms:

• courtesy call    visita de cortesia
• courtesy light    luz interior de um carro

Русский (Russian)
учтивость, любезность

idioms:

• courtesy call    визит вежливости
• courtesy light    автоматическая лампа освещения кабины

Español (Spanish)
n. - cumplido, cortesía
adj. - de cumplido, de cortesía

idioms:

• courtesy call    visita de cortesía/cumplido
• courtesy light    luz interior

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - artighet, tillmötesgående, höviskhet, nigning (åld.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
礼貌, 谦恭有礼的言辞, 殷勤, 亡妻遗产权, 出于礼节的, 殷勤的, 优待的, 名义上的, 被众人承认的

idioms:

• courtesy call    礼貌性拜访
• courtesy light    车箱灯

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 禮貌, 謙恭有禮的言辭, 殷勤, 亡妻遺產權
adj. - 出於禮節的, 殷勤的, 優待的, 名義上的, 被眾人承認的

idioms:

• courtesy call    禮貌性拜訪
• courtesy light    車箱燈

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 예의 바름, 호의, 인사
adj. - 예의상의, 명목상의

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 礼儀, 丁重, 丁重な行為

idioms:

• courtesy call    儀礼上の訪問, 表敬訪問
• courtesy light    車内灯, 自動車の車内灯

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) لطف, مجامله, احترام‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אדיבות, מעשה אדיב‬
adj. - ‮נעשה בהתאם לכללי האדיבות‬

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