Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

curtsy

 
Dictionary: curt·sy or curt·sey (kûrt') pronunciation
n., pl., -sies, or -seys.
A gesture of respect or reverence made chiefly by women by bending the knees with one foot forward and lowering the body.

intr.v., -sied, or -seyed, -sy·ing, or -sey·ing, -sies, or -seys.
To make a curtsy.

[Variant of COURTESY.]


Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
Thesaurus: curtsy
Top

noun

    An inclination of the head or body, as in greeting, consent, courtesy, submission, or worship: bow, genuflection, kowtow, nod, obeisance. See courtesy/discourtesy.

Word Tutor: curtsy
Top
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: n. - Bending at the knees v. - Bend the knees in a gesture of respectful greeting.

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

Wikipedia: Curtsey
Top
Girl doing a curtsey in the painting La révérence by William Bouguereau

A curtsey (also spelled curtsy or courtesy') is a traditional gesture of greeting, in which a girl or woman bends her knees while bowing her head. It is the female equivalent of male bowing in Western cultures. Miss Manners characterizes its knee bend as deriving from a "traditional gesture of an inferior to a superior."[1] The word "curtsy" is a phonological change from "courtesy" known in linguistics as syncope.

In more formal variants of the curtsey, the girl/woman bends the knees outward (rather than straight ahead), often sweeping one foot behind her. She may also use her hands to hold her skirt out from her body.

Traditionally, women and girls would curtsey for those of senior social rank just as men and boys would bow. Today this practice has become less common. In European cultures it is traditional for women to curtsey in front of royalty. It may then be referred to as a court curtsey and is often especially deep and elaborate. Further, some female domestic workers curtsey for their employers.

Female dancers often curtsey at the end of a performance to show gratitude or acknowledge any applause from the audience. At the end of a ballet class, students will also curtsey or bow to the teacher and the pianist to show gratitude. According to Victorian dance etiquette, a woman curtseys before beginning a dance.

It is custom for female figure skaters to curtsey at the end of their programs at figure skating competitions or shows.

The "Texas Dip" is an extreme curtsey performed by a Texan debutante when formally introduced at the International Debutante Ball in the Waldorf-Astoria. The young women slowly lower their forehead to the floor by crossing their ankles, then bending their knees and sinking. The escort's hand is held during the dip. When the debutante's head nears the floor, she turns her head sideways, averting the risk of soiling her dress with lipstick.[2]

References

External links


Translations: Curtsy
Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - nejen, kniks
v. intr. - neje, knikse

Nederlands (Dutch)
revérence (maken)

Français (French)
n. - révérence
v. intr. - faire la révérence

Deutsch (German)
n. - Knicks
v. - knicksen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - υπόκλιση (γυναίκας, με κάμψη του γονάτου)
v. - υποκλίνομαι

Italiano (Italian)
inchino, inchinarsi

Português (Portuguese)
n. - cortesia (f)
v. - fazer cortesia

Русский (Russian)
реверанс, делать реверанс

Español (Spanish)
n. - reverencia
v. intr. - hacer una reverencia a, reverenciar

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - nigning
v. - niga

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
屈膝礼, 行屈膝礼

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 屈膝禮
v. intr. - 行屈膝禮

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 절, 인사
v. intr. - 절을 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - おじぎ
v. - おじぎをする

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) انحنائه الأحترام (فعل) انحنى باحترام‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קידה נשית - כיפוף ברכיים והנמכת הגוף, קידה‬
v. intr. - ‮קדה קידה‬


 
 
Learn More
obeisance
lout
bob

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Curtsey" Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more