Where does “curtsy” come from?
curtsy (English) comes from English curtsey, from Old French curteisie, from Old French curtesie, from Old French curteis, from Old French cort, from Latin cōrs, from Latin cohors, from Latin co- — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...
curtsy (English): Alternative spelling of curtsey
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of curtsey
Ancestry of “curtsy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | curtsey | A small bow, generally performed by a woman or a... |
| 2 | Old French | curteisie | — |
| 3 | Old French | curtesie | honor; valor; nobleness |
| 4 | Old French | curteis | Alternative form of cortois |
| 5 | Old French | cort | court |
| 6 | Latin | cōrs | — |
| 7 | Latin | cohors | a court; a farmyard or enclosure; a retinue or... |
| 8 | Latin | co- | allomorph of con- |
| 9 | Latin | cōn- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects |
| 10 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 11 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 15 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 16 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 17 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 18 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 19 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 20 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 21 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |