Curtseyed

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A respectful inclination of the body made by bending the knees, typically performed by women
2. This action involves lowering the body briefly by bending the legs in acknowledgment or greeting
3. Made a respectful gesture by bending the knees and lowering the body briefly as a sign of respect or greeting

Etymology: This is an inflected form, so the story belongs to its base, "curtsey." That word is a variant spelling of "courtesy," and the two were once the same word in English. The noun "courtesy" was first recorded in 1525 in a form that let it drift away from its root: the medieval spelling "curteisie" passed through Anglo-Norman from Old French "curteisie" or "cortoisie," and the spelling "curtsey" grew out of that older shape. The sense of the verb is the surprising part. A bow or a bent-knee gesture was once simply a "courtesy," an act of courteous behaviour, and "to curtsey" meant to perform that act. The gesture took its name from the broader idea of polite conduct at court, where good manners were expected from anyone in the presence of a ruler.

Synonyms: bowed, saluted