English
court
see also: Court
Etymology

From Middle English court, from Old French cort, from Latin cōrtem (accusative of cōrs), ultimately from cohors.

Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /kɔːt/
  • (America) IPA: /kɔɹt/
  • (rhotic, non-horse-hoarse) IPA: /ko(ː)ɹt/
  • (non-rhotic, non-horse-hoarse) IPA: /koət/
  • (Australia) IPA: /koːt/
Noun

court (plural courts)

  1. An enclosed space; a courtyard; an uncovered area shut in by the walls of a building, or by different buildings; also, a space opening from a street and nearly surrounded by houses; a blind alley.
    The girls were playing in the court.
    • 1832 December (indicated as 1833), Alfred Tennyson, “The Palace of Art”, in Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC ↗, stanza XXX, page 77 ↗:
      All round the cool green courts there ran a row / Of cloisters, branched like mighty woods, / Echoing all night to that sonorous flow / Of spouted fountain floods.
    • 1856 February, [Thomas Babington] Macaulay, “Oliver Goldsmith”, in T[homas] F[lower] E[llis], editor, The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, new edition, London: Longman, Green, Reader, & Dyer, published 1871, →OCLC ↗:
      Goldsmith took a garret in a miserable court.
    1. (Australia, US) A street with no outlet, a cul-de-sac.
    2. (Hong Kong, only used in names) A housing estate under the Home Ownership Scheme.
    3. (Hong Kong, only used in names) An apartment building, or a small development of several apartment buildings.
  2. (social) Royal society.
    1. The residence of a sovereign, prince, nobleman, or other dignitary; a palace.
      The noblemen visited the queen in her court.
      • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene iv]:
        This our court, infected with their manners, / Shows like a riotous inn.
    2. The collective body of persons composing the retinue of a sovereign or person high in authority; all the surroundings of a sovereign in his regal state.
      The queen and her court traveled to the city to welcome back the soldiers.
      • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act II, scene iv]:
        My lord, there is a nobleman of the court at door would speak with you.
      • 1819–1824, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, London, (please specify |canto=I to XVII):
        Love rules the court, the camp, the grove.
    3. Any formal assembling of the retinue of a sovereign.
      • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 20, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC ↗:
        The princesses […] held their court within the fortress.
  3. Attention directed to a person in power; behaviour designed to gain favor; politeness of manner; civility towards someone
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗:
      No solace could her paramour entreat / Her once to show, ne court, nor dalliance.
    • 1667 April 28 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 18 April 1667]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […]; and sold by John and Arthur Arch, […], published 1819, →OCLC ↗:
      I went to make court to the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle at their house in Clerkenwell.
  4. (law) The administration of law.
    1. The hall, chamber, or place, where justice is administered.
      Many famous criminals have been put on trial in this court.
    2. The persons officially assembled under authority of law, at the appropriate time and place, for the administration of justice; an official assembly, legally met together for the transaction of judicial business; a judge or judges sitting for the hearing or trial of cases.
      The court started proceedings at 11 o'clock.
    3. An organization for the administration of law, consisting of a body of judges with a certain jurisdiction along with its administrative apparatus.
      Each province in Canada has three courts: a provincial court, a superior court, and a court of appeals.
    4. (often capitalized) The judge or judges or other judicial officer presiding in a particular matter, particularly as distinguished from the counsel or jury, or both.
    5. The session of a judicial assembly.
      The court is now in session.
    6. Any jurisdiction, civil, military, or ecclesiastical.
  5. (sports) A place arranged for playing the games of tennis, basketball, handball, badminton, volleyball, squash and some other games
    The local sports club has six tennis courts and two squash courts.
    The shuttlecock landed outside the court.
    1. one of the two divisions of a tennis, badminton or volleyball court, in which the player or players of each team play
      • 2010, Cara Marcus, Faulkner Hospital:
        The photograph at left captures a great serve by Dr. Sadowsky, who will never forget one of Bobby Riggs's serves, which had such a great spin that it landed in his court and bounced back to the other side of the net before he had a chance to return it.
  6. (ornithology) A space prepared and decorated by certain bird species in which to advertise themselves for a mate.
    The male Wilson's bird of paradise clears an area of rainforest to create a court in which to perform an elaborate mating dance.
Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Verb

court (courts, present participle courting; simple past and past participle courted)

  1. (transitive) To seek to achieve or win (a prize).
    He was courting big new accounts that previous salesmen had not attempted.
  2. (transitive) To risk (a consequence, usually negative).
    She courted controversy with her frank speeches.
  3. (transitive) To try to win a commitment to marry from.
  4. (transitive) To engage in behavior conducive to mating with.
    The bird was courting a potential mate by performing an elaborate dance.
  5. (transitive) To attempt to attract; to invite by attractions; to allure.
    Synonyms: charm, entrance, Thesaurus:allure
    • 1902, Robert Marshall Grade, The Haunted Major:
      It is a grim, grey old town, standing on bleak, precipitous cliffs that court every passing hurricane, […]
  6. (transitive) To attempt to gain alliance with.
  7. (intransitive) To engage in activities intended to win affections.
    Synonyms: romance, solicit, Thesaurus:woo
    She's had a few beaus come courting.
  8. (intransitive) To engage in courtship behavior.
    At this time of year, you can see many animals courting.
Translations
Court
Etymology
  • As an English and French - surname, from the noun court.
  • As an Irish - surname, reduced from McCourt.
Proper noun
  1. Surname for someone who worked or lived in a court.
  2. A municipality in Bern.


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