courtesan

courtesan
/kawr"teuh zeuhn, kohr"-, kerr"-/, n.
a prostitute or paramour, esp. one associating with noblemen or men of wealth.
Also, courtezan.
[1540-50; < MF courtisane < It cortigiana, lit., woman of the court, deriv. of corte COURT]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Courtesan — Cour te*san (k?r t? z?n; 277), n. [F. courtisane, fr. courtisan courtier, It. cortigiano; or directly fr. It. cortigiana, or Sp. cortesana. See {Court}.] A woman who prostitutes herself for hire; a prostitute; a harlot. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • courtesan — early 15c., from M.Fr. courtisane, from It. cortigiana prostitute, lit. woman of the court, fem. of cortigiano one attached to a court, from corte court, from L. cortem (see COURT (Cf. court)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • courtesan — is pronounced kor tǝ zan, with stress on the last syllable …   Modern English usage

  • courtesan — ► NOUN ▪ a prostitute, especially one with wealthy or upper class clients. ORIGIN French courtisane, from obsolete Italian cortigiana female courtier …   English terms dictionary

  • courtesan — [kôrt′ə zən, kôrt΄ə zan′; ] also, esp.formerly, [kʉrt′ə z n] n. [Fr courtisane < It cortigiana, a prostitute, orig., court lady < corte, court < VL curtis: see COURT] a prostitute; esp., a mistress of a king, or a man of wealth or… …   English World dictionary

  • Courtesan — For other uses, see Courtesan (disambiguation). Relationships …   Wikipedia

  • courtesan — UK [ˌkɔː(r)tɪˈzæn] / US [ˌkɔrtəˈzæn] noun [countable] Word forms courtesan : singular courtesan plural courtesans in the past, a woman who had sex with rich and important men in exchange for money, protection, and status …   English dictionary

  • courtesan — [[t]kɔ͟ː(r)tɪzæ̱n, AM zən[/t]] courtesans N COUNT In former times, a courtesan was a woman who had sexual relationships with rich and powerful men for money …   English dictionary

  • courtesan —    a prostitute    In the 15th century, it referred to someone at court. The derivation is more likely to be from the Italian cortigiana, despite the morals of Tudor courtiers:     He regularly visited a famous courtesan in the Srinegar bazaar… …   How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms

  • Courtesan (disambiguation) — Courtesan may refer to Courtesan, a female courtier a prostitute catering to clients of wealth and status Euripus, a genus of brush footed butterflies commonly known as the Courtesans, Euripus nyctelius, a species in the genus Euripus commonly… …   Wikipedia

  • courtesan — noun Etymology: Middle French courtisane, from northern Italian dialect form of Italian cortigiana woman courtier, feminine of cortigiano courtier, from corte court, from Latin cohort , cohors Date: 1533 a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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