I. cour ‧ te ‧ sy 1 /ˈkɜːtəsi, ˈkɜːtɪsi $ ˈkɜːr-/ BrE AmE noun ( plural courtesies )
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: corteisie , from corteis ; ⇨ ↑ courteous ]
1 . [uncountable] polite behaviour and respect for other people SYN politeness OPP discourtesy :
It’s a matter of common courtesy to acknowledge letters.
have the courtesy to do something
He didn’t even have the courtesy to call and say he couldn’t come.
2 . [countable] something you do or say to be polite:
The two men exchanged courtesies before getting down to business.
3 . (by) courtesy of somebody by someone’s permission or kindness, rather than by paying them:
photographs supplied courtesy of Blenheim Palace
4 . (by) courtesy of something if one thing happens courtesy of another, the second thing caused the first:
Healy received a deep cut on his left hand, courtesy of Nicole’s ice skate.
5 . do somebody the courtesy of doing something to be polite enough to do something for someone:
At least do me the courtesy of telling the truth.
II. courtesy 2 BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
1 . provided free to a customer by a company
courtesy bus/taxi/car/phone etc
The hotel runs a courtesy bus from the airport.
Most reviewers receive a courtesy copy of the book.
2 . courtesy visit/call a visit etc done to be polite or show respect:
Our captain put in a courtesy visit during dinner.