1.nounA small bow, generally performed by a woman or a girl, where she crosses one calf of her leg behind the other and briefly bends her knees and lowers her body in deference.
"I refused to make so much as a curtsey for the passing nobles, as I am a staunch egalitarian."
2.verbTo make a curtsey.
"The hotel's staff variously curtsied, nodded, and bowed to the owner as she passed."