noun
- a legal right by which a husband acquires a life interest in his wife's real property after her death, provided they had a child capable of inheriting
Usage: law; archaic in most modern jurisdictions
Examples
- Under common law, a widower could claim curtesy in his deceased wife's estate.
- The doctrine of curtesy has been largely abolished in contemporary property law.
- Curtesy was the male counterpart to dower rights.
- He was entitled to curtesy because their son survived to inherit the property.