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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

courtesy.

Polite behavior.

8 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈkɜːtəsi/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɝɾəsi/General-American
  1. Polite behavior.

    uncountable
    Please extend them the courtesy of your presence.
    He was always known for his grace, kindness, and courtesy to people of every rank.
  2. A polite gesture or remark, especially as opposed to an obligation or standard practice.

    countable
    I offered them a ride simply as a courtesy.
  3. Consent or agreement in spite of fact; indulgence.

    uncountable
    They call this pond a lake by courtesy only.
  4. Willingness or generosity in providing something needed.

    uncountable
    They received free advertising through the courtesy of the local newspaper.
  5. A curtsey.

    countable · dated · uncountable
  6. The life interest that the surviving husband has in the real or heritable estate of his wife.

    countable · uncountable
Where this word comes from

From Middle English curteisie, curtesie, from Anglo-Norman curtesie, from Old French curteisie, cortoisie. Equivalent to courteous + -y (abstract noun suffix). By surface analysis, court + -esy.

adj/ˈkɜːtəsi/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɝɾəsi/General-American
  1. Given or done as a polite gesture.

    not-comparable
    We paid a courtesy visit to the new neighbors.
  2. Supplied free of charge.

    not-comparable
    The event planners offered courtesy tickets for the reporters.
Where this word comes from

From Middle English curteisie, curtesie, from Anglo-Norman curtesie, from Old French curteisie, cortoisie. Equivalent to courteous + -y (abstract noun suffix). By surface analysis, court + -esy.

verb/ˈkɜːtəsi/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɝɾəsi/General-American
  1. Alternative form of curtsey.

    alt-of · alternative
Where this word comes from

From Middle English curteisie, curtesie, from Anglo-Norman curtesie, from Old French curteisie, cortoisie. Equivalent to courteous + -y (abstract noun suffix). By surface analysis, court + -esy.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.