courtesy

Universal Words noun, adjective noun (plural courtesies) 1 [U] polite behaviour that shows respect for other people: I was treated with the utmost courtesy by the staff. * We asked them, as a matter of courtesy, if we could photograph their house. * It's only common courtesy to tell the neighbours that we'll be having a party (= the sort of behaviour that people would expect). 2 [C,usually pl.] (formal) a polite thing that you say or do when you meet people in formal situations: an exchange of courtesies before the meeting IDIOMS courtesy of sb/sth 1 (also by courtesy of sb/sth) with the official permission of sb/sth and as a favour: The pictures have been reproduced by courtesy of the British Museum. 2 given as a prize or provided free by a person or an organization: Win a weekend in Rome, courtesy of Fiat. 3 as the result of a particular thing or situation: Viewers can see the stadium from the air, courtesy of a camera fastened to the plane. do sb the courtesy of doing sth to be polite by doing the thing that is mentioned: Please do me the courtesy of listening to what I'm saying. have the courtesy to do sth to know when you should do sth in order to be polite: You think he'd at least have the courtesy to call to say he'd be late. adjective [onlybeforenoun] (of a bus, car, etc.) provided free, at no cost to the person using it: A courtesy bus operates between the hotel and the town centre. * The dealer will provide you with a courtesy car while your vehicle is being repaired.