curtesy

noun

cur·​te·​sy ˈkər-tə-sē 

plural curtesies

: a husband's interest upon the death of his wife in the real property of an estate that she either solely owned or inherited provided they bore a child capable of inheriting the estate compare dower

Examples of curtesy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dower and curtesy apply to wives and husbands, respectively. —Josh Snyder, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English corteisie courtesy

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

curtesy

noun

cur·​te·​sy ˈkər-tə-sē 

plural curtesies

: a husband's interest at common law in a life estate upon the death of his wife in the real property that she either solely owned or inherited provided that they bore a child capable of inheriting the property compare dower, elective share

Etymology

Anglo-French curteisie, literally, favor, courtesy, originally in the phrase par la corteysie de Engleterre (tenancy) by courtesy of (the law of) England (as opposed to natural right)