court
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /kɔːt/
ipa: /kɔɹt/
note: rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger
ipa: /ko(ː)ɹt/
note: non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger
ipa: /koət/
ipa: /koːt/
homophone: caught (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger)
note: Indic
ipa: /ko(r)ʈ/
homophone: coat
homophone: ('w' dropped) quote
rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)t
Forms: form: courts
form: courting
form: courted
form: courted
Etymology: From Middle English court, from Old French cort, curt, from Late Latin cōrs, contracted from Latin cohors. Doublet of cohort.
Senses: examples: text: He was courting big new accounts that previous salesmen had not attempted.
text: On the contrary, they employed the brief respite that was left them in fortifying one another's courage, and in bearing testimony to the truth in so earnest a manner that they might almost seem to have courted the crown of martyrdom.
ref: 1800, William H[ickling] Prescott, History of The Reign of Philip The Second, King of Spain, volume 3:
text: Guilt and misery shrink, by a natural instinct, from public notice: they court privacy and solitude: and even in their choice of a grave will sometimes sequester themselves from the general population of the churchyard […]
ref: 1821, Thomas De Quincey, “To the Reader”, in Confessions of an English Opium-Eater:
glosses: To seek to achieve or win (a prize).
examples: text: She courted controversy with her frank speeches.
text: It is not unknown for hot axleboxes to fail completely and for wagons to become derailed as a result. Surely it is courting disaster to allow a train to proceed for up to seven miles with a defective vehicle before it can be brought to a halt?
ref: 1964 April, “Automatic Signalling Problems in an Emergency”, in Modern Railways, page 273:
glosses: To risk (a consequence, usually negative).
examples: text: If either of you both love Katharina […] / Leave shall you have to court her at your pleasure.
ref: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, act 1, scene 1:
glosses: To try to win a commitment to marry from.
examples: text: The bird was courting a potential mate by performing an elaborate dance.
text: By one person, however, Portland was still assiduously courted, and that person was the king.
ref: 1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 24, in The History of England: From the Accession of James II, volume 5:
glosses: To engage in behavior conducive to mating with.
examples: text: […] a well-worn pathway courted us / To one green wicket in a privet hedge […]
ref: a. 1835, Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Gardener's Daughter:
text: It is a grim, grey old town, standing on bleak, precipitous cliffs that court every passing hurricane, […]
ref: 1902, Robert Marshall Grade, The Haunted Major:
synonyms: word: charm
word: entrance
word: allure
word: arrest
word: attract
word: becharm
word: beguile
word: bewitch
word: beckon
word: captivate
word: charm
word: court
word: delight
word: draw
word: enchant
word: engage
word: enthrall
word: entrance
word: enrapture
word: fascinate
word: hypnotize
word: interest
word: intrigue
word: mesmerize
word: pull
word: pull in
word: seduce
word: sirenize
word: spellbind
word: tempt
word: tole
glosses: To attempt to attract; to invite by attractions; to allure.
glosses: To attempt to gain alliance with.
examples: text: She's had a few beaus come courting.
synonyms: word: romance
word: solicit
word: address
word: beau
word: bedear
word: chase after
word: court
word: endear
word: make a move (on)
word: make love
word: pitch woo
word: put the moves on
word: romance
word: solicit
word: spark
word: woo
glosses: To engage in activities intended to win affections.
examples: text: At this time of year, you can see many animals courting.
glosses: To engage in courtship behavior.
Derived terms: uncourting
Related terms: court-noué