curtsey

Everyday

1. A polite movement made by girls and women, bending the knees with one foot behind the other, to show respect, for example to a queen or at the end of a performance. tree →
2. (verb) To make a curtsey. tree →

In the lessons

In history and in royal etiquette, women curtsey and men bow to the monarch. In ballet and dance shows, dancers curtsey at the end. In Alice in Wonderland, Alice tries to curtsey while she is falling down the rabbit hole — «fancy curtseying as you're falling through the air!» — and she curtseys to the Queen of Hearts. In old stories, servants curtsey to their masters.

Examples

• Alice tried to curtsey as she fell. tree →
• The ballet dancers curtseyed to the audience. tree →
• She curtseyed to the Queen and the Queen smiled. tree →
• The maid bobbed a curtsey and left the room. tree →
• Bow or curtsey when the music stops. tree →
• Alice made a little curtsey to the Duchess. tree →
• ‘If you please, sire,’ said the Princess, dropping a curtsey. tree →

Note

Two spellings: curtsey (curtseys, curtseyed) and curtsy (curtsies, curtsied). Usually done by women and girls; men and boys bow. Comes from the word courtesy (politeness).