courtesy

[ kur-tuh-see or, for 5, kurt-see ]
See synonyms for courtesy on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural cour·te·sies.
  1. excellence of manners or social conduct; polite behavior: Her unfailing courtesy made her easy to work with.

  2. a courteous, respectful, or considerate act or expression.

  1. indulgence, consent, or acquiescence: He is a “colonel” by courtesy rather than by right.

  2. favor, help, or generosity: The costumes for the play were by courtesy of the local department store.

  3. a curtsy.

adjective
  1. done or performed as a matter of politeness or protocol: The council member paid a courtesy call on the mayor.

  2. offered or provided free by the management: While waiting to board the airplane, we were provided with courtesy coffee.

Idioms about courtesy

  1. courtesy of, from or given by: This tip comes courtesy of our inside source.

Origin of courtesy

1
First recorded in 1175–1225; from Middle English curteisie, from Anglo-French, from Old French; equivalent to courteous + -y3

Other words for courtesy

Other words from courtesy

  • o·ver·cour·te·sy, noun
  • un·cour·te·sy, noun, plural un·cour·te·sies.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use courtesy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for courtesy

courtesy

/ (ˈkɜːtɪsɪ) /


nounplural -sies
  1. politeness; good manners

  2. a courteous gesture or remark

  1. favour or consent (esp in the phrase by courtesy of)

  2. common consent as opposed to right (esp in the phrase by courtesy): See also courtesy title

  3. (ˈkɜːtsɪ) an archaic spelling of curtsy

Origin of courtesy

1
C13 curteisie, from Old French, from corteis courteous

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012