courtesy

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun Polite behavior.
• noun A polite gesture or remark.
• noun Consent or agreement in spite of fact; indulgence.
• noun Willingness or generosity in providing something needed.
• adjective Given or done as a polite gesture.
• adjective Free of charge.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun Naval, the interchange of official visits and salutes when a war-ship enters a foreign port.
• To make a gesture of reverence, respect, or civility; make a courtesy: now said only of women.
• To treat with courtesy or civility.
• noun Courtliness or elegance of manners; politeness; civility; complaisance; especially, politeness springing from kindly feeling.
• noun An act of civility or respect; an act of kindness, or a favor done with politeness; a gracious attention.
• noun A gesture of reverence, respect, or civility: formerly used for both sexes; now, in a restricted sense, a kind of obeisance made by a woman, consisting in a sinking or inclination of the body with bending of the knees: in this sense now usually pronounced and often written curtsy (kėrt′ si), Scotch also curchie.
• noun Favor; indulgence; allowance; common consent; conventional as distinguished from legal right: as, a title by courtesy; the courtesy of England. See phrases below.
• noun The custom of confirming the nomination to an office by the President of a member or former member of the Senate without the usual reference to a committee.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun An act of civility, respect, or reverence, made by women, consisting of a slight depression or dropping of the body, with bending of the knees.
• intransitive verb To make a respectful salutation or movement of respect; esp. (with reference to women), to bow the body slightly, with bending of the knes.
• noun Politeness; civility; urbanity; courtliness.
• noun An act of civility or respect; an act of kindness or favor performed with politeness.
• noun Favor or indulgence, as distinguished from right.
• noun a title assumed by a person, or popularly conceded to him, to which he has no valid claim; as, the courtesy title of Lord prefixed to the names of the younger sons of noblemen.
• transitive verb obsolete To treat with civility.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun uncountable Polite behavior.
• noun countable A polite gesture or remark.
• noun uncountable Consent or agreement in spite of fact; indulgence.
• noun uncountable Willingness or generosity in providing something needed.
• adjective Given or done as a polite gesture.
• adjective Free of charge.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun a courteous or respectful or considerate remark
• noun a courteous manner
• noun a courteous or respectful or considerate act