Curtsey — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

bending the knees; a gesture of respect made by women

bend the knees in a gesture of respectful greeting

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dˈɪɡənˌuːɾɪzəm/

🇬🇧British English

/kˈɜːtsi/

🇮🇳Indian English

/kˈɜːtsi/

2 syllables Say it as /dˈɪɡənˌuːɾɪzəm/.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

curtsy

Parts of Speech

noun	bending the knees; a gesture of respect made by women
verb	bend the knees in a gesture of respectful greeting

Word Forms

curtsy	verb	make a curtsy; usually done only by girls and women; as a sign of respect
curtsey	verb	bend the knees in a gesture of respectful greeting
curtsy	noun	bending the knees; a gesture of respect made by women
curtsey	noun	bending the knees; a gesture of respect made by women

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Knicks

die Knie beugen; eine Geste des Respekts von Frauen

🇫🇷French

révérence

plier les genoux; un geste de respect posé par les femmes

🇪🇸Spanish

reverencia

doblar las rodillas; un gesto de respeto hecho por las mujeres

🇮🇹Italian

riverenza

piegare le ginocchia; un gesto di rispetto fatto dalle donne

🇳🇱Dutch

buiging

de knieën buigen; een gebaar van respect gemaakt door vrouwen

🇵🇹Portuguese

reverência

dobrar os joelhos; um gesto de respeito feito por mulheres

🇷🇺Russian

реверанс

сгибание коленей; жест уважения со стороны женщины

India

🇮🇳Hindi

कर्टसी

घुटनों को मोड़ना; महिलाओं द्वारा किया गया सम्मान का भाव

🇧🇩Bengali

কার্টসি

হাঁটু নমন; মহিলাদের দ্বারা তৈরি সম্মানের অঙ্গভঙ্গি

🇮🇳Tamil

கர்ட்ஸி

முழங்கால்களை வளைத்தல்; பெண்களால் செய்யப்படும் மரியாதைக்குரிய சைகை

🇮🇳Telugu

కర్ట్సీ

మోకాలు బెండింగ్; స్త్రీలు చేసిన గౌరవ సంజ్ఞ

🇮🇳Gujarati

કર્તસી

ઘૂંટણ વાળવું; સ્ત્રીઓ દ્વારા કરવામાં આવેલ આદરની ચેષ્ટા

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕರ್ಟ್ಸೆ

ಮೊಣಕಾಲುಗಳನ್ನು ಬಗ್ಗಿಸುವುದು; ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು ಮಾಡಿದ ಗೌರವ ಸೂಚಕ

🇮🇳Malayalam

കർട്സി

മുട്ടുകൾ വളച്ച്; സ്ത്രീകൾ നടത്തിയ ബഹുമാനത്തിൻ്റെ ഒരു ആംഗ്യമാണ്

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਕਰਟਸੀ

ਗੋਡਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਮੋੜਨਾ; ਔਰਤਾਂ ਦੁਆਰਾ ਕੀਤੀ ਗਈ ਇੱਜ਼ਤ ਦਾ ਸੰਕੇਤ

🇵🇰Urdu

کرٹسی

گھٹنوں کو موڑنا؛ خواتین کی طرف سے احترام کا اشارہ

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

行屈膝礼

弯曲膝盖；女性做出的尊重的姿态

🇯🇵Japanese

お辞儀

膝を曲げる。女性が行う敬意の表れ

🇰🇷Korean

절하다

무릎을 굽히다; 여성이 하는 존경의 몸짓

🇻🇳Vietnamese

cúi chào

uốn cong đầu gối; một cử chỉ tôn trọng của phụ nữ

🇹🇭Thai

ถอนสายบัว

งอเข่า; การแสดงความเคารพจากผู้หญิง

🇮🇩Indonesian

hormat

menekuk lutut; sebuah sikap hormat yang dilakukan oleh perempuan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

تنحني المرأة

ثني الركبتين. لفتة الاحترام التي قدمتها النساء

🇮🇷Persian

کوتاهی

خم شدن زانوها؛ ژست احترامی که توسط زنان انجام می شود

🇹🇷Turkish

reverans

dizleri bükmek; kadınların yaptığı saygı jesti

🇮🇱Hebrew

קִדָה

כיפוף הברכיים; מחווה של כבוד שנעשה על ידי נשים

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'curtsey'?

The primary meaning of 'curtsey' is 'bending the knees; a gesture of respect made by women'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'curtsey' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'curtsey' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'curtsey' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'curtsey' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'curtsey' in your daily reading?

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Do you find 'curtsey' easy to spell?

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In your opinion, does the word 'curtsey' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Which age group is most likely to use 'curtsey' in regular conversations?

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How likely are you to use 'curtsey' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'curtsey' as formal, casual, or slang?

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