What does that word mean?
There are several hypotheses, some more far-fetched than others. Let's keep two of them.
1st hypothesis
In the 19th century, a French family named Sicourt lived in Cádiz
—two sisters dressed in the Parisian style; a bit snobbish, overly prim, and quickly becoming a laughingstock.
Teasing them, the locals would call out: “Si-Cur- Si-Cur Si-Cur-Si- Cur-Si…Cursi”.
A metathesis mocking their false elegance and labeling them as pedants. The flashy types of today.
No doubt a legend. Javier de Burgos, a playwright from Cádiz, adapted it into a musical sketch performed in Madrid in 1899 “The Sicur Family”. The orphaned sisters, Tessi and Curt, import dresses from Paris.
They inspired the following verses: “They’ve received from Paris/the young ladies of Tesi Cur/Tesicursi-sí/Tesicursi-cur, beautiful dresses with canesú…”
2nd hypothesis
"Cursi" is said to derive from “Kursi” , meaning “chair” among 15th-century Moroccans.
The term evolved by analogy: Chair ⏩ Chair ⏩ Science ⏩ Scholar ⏩ Pedant.
This word is now common throughout Spain.
Cocteau had noted this. In *Le cordon ombilical*, a collection of memoirs written in Marbella. His thoughts can be summed up as follows: in life, you’re either “cursi” or you’re “flamenco.”
➽ To discover more words, be sure to check out✅ “El Habla de Cádiz” by Pedro M. Payán Sotomayor – Quorum Publishers