- courtesan
- cour|te|san [ ,kɔrtə`zæn ] noun countin the past, a woman who had sex with rich and important men in exchange for money, protection, and status
Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.
Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.
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