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curtsy

 [kurt-see]   Origin

curt·sy

   [kurt-see] noun, plural -sies, verb, -sied, -sy·ing.
noun
1.
a respectful bow made by women and girls, consisting of bending the knees and lowering the body.
verb (used without object)
2.
to make a curtsy.

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Curtsy is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Origin:
1520–30; variant of courtesy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
curtsy or curtsey (ˈkɜːtsɪ)
 
—n , pl -sies, -seys
1.  a formal gesture of greeting and respect made by women in which the knees are bent, the head slightly bowed, and the skirt held outwards
 
—vb , -sies, -seys, -sies, -sying, -sied, -seys, -seying, -seyed
2.  (intr) to make a curtsy
 
[C16: variant of courtesy]
 
curtsey or curtsey
 
—n
 
—vb
 
[C16: variant of courtesy]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

curtsy
1570s, "bending the knee and lowering the body as a gesture of respect," a 16c. variant of courtesy (q.v.). Not originally exclusively feminine.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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