Word Confusion: Courtesy versus Curtsey

It was a sentence in a story I was reading — “She didn’t have the common curtsey to call the police.”

I’m guessing it was a typo, but then again . . .

To be fair, there can be a word confusion with a courtesy that can be spelled curtsey, but only if the story (or the character) is from earlier than the late 16th century.

So remember that while curtsey may have arisen from courtesy as part of being a courteous gesture, the curtsey has been a motion in which a female bends her knees with one foot in front of the other, as either a noun or an intransitive verb since the late 16th century.

Courtesy is still a noun of politeness, kindness, and or consideration.

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Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Courtesy	Curtsey
	—
Part of Grammar:
Adjective; Noun Plural for the noun: courtesies	Noun; Verb, intransitive Plural for the noun: curtseys, curtsies Gerund: curtseying, curtsying Third person present verb: curtseys, curtsies Past tense or past participle: curtseyed, curtsied Present participle: curtseying, curtsying Alternative spelling: curtsy
Adjective: Done or performed as a matter of politeness or protocol Offered or provided free by the management Noun: The showing of politeness in one’s attitude and behavior toward others [Often courtesies] A polite speech or action, especially one required by convention [As modifier; especially of transport] Supplied free of charge to people who are already paying for another service Consent or agreement in spite of fact Indulgence [Archaic spelling] A curtsy	Noun: A woman’s or girl’s formal greeting made by bending the knees with one foot in front of the other Verb, intransitive: Perform a curtsy
Examples:
Adjective: The council member paid a courtesy call on the mayor. While waiting to board the airplane, we were provided with courtesy coffee. We paid a courtesy visit to the new neighbors. All the reporters got courtesy tickets. Noun: He had been treated with a degree of courtesy not far short of deference. We had to stand through the superficial courtesies of diplomatic exchanges. He traveled from the hotel in a courtesy car. He was not at the conference only by courtesy. The photograph was courtesy of the Evening Star. He was a “colonel” by courtesy rather than by right. They call this pond a lake by courtesy only. The queen replied to her courtesy with a mute gesture of salutation.	Noun: She bobbed a curtsy to him. You’ll need to practice your curtsey. Helen did not even make him a curtsy. I made him my curtsey and left him. Verb, intransitive: She curtsied onto the stage. She curtsied to the queen. Louisa made haste to curtsy before she left.
Derivatives:
Adjective: courteous Noun: courteousness, overcourtesy, uncourtesy
History of the Word:
Middle English from the Old French cortesie meaning having manners fit for a royal court, from the Old French corteis, based on the Latin cohors meaning yard, retinue.	Early 16th century in a variant of courtesy. Both forms were used to denote the expression of respect or courtesy by a gesture, especially in phrases such as do courtesy, make courtesy, and from this arose the current use in the late 16th century.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Marketing Help & Resources, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Courtesy versus Curtsey

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Apple Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com: courtesy

The Free Dictionary: courtesy, curtsy

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Pinterest Photo Credits

Presenting Flowers to the Queen Outside Brisbane City Hall, March 1954, held by the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, and is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons and courtesy of the Sunday Truth.