court
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
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
Etymology: From Middle English court, from Old French cort, curt, from Late Latin cōrs, contracted from Latin cohors. Doublet of cohort.
Senses: examples: text: The girls were playing in the court.
text: 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.
ref: 1832 December (indicated as 1833), Alfred Tennyson, “The Palace of Art”, in Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, stanza XXX, page 77:
text: Goldsmith took a garret in a miserable court.
ref: 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:
glosses: 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.
glosses: 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.
A street with no outlet, a cul-de-sac.
glosses: 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.
A housing estate under the Home Ownership Scheme.
raw_tags: used in names
glosses: 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.
An apartment building, or a small development of several apartment buildings.
raw_tags: used in names
examples: text: The noblemen visited the queen in her court.
text: This our court, infected with their manners, / Shows like a riotous inn.
ref: 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]:
qualifier: social
glosses: Royal society.
The residence of a sovereign, prince, nobleman, or other dignitary; a palace.
examples: text: Meronym: royal household
text: The queen and her court traveled to the city to welcome back the soldiers.
text: My lord, there is a nobleman of the court at door would speak with you.
ref: 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]:
text: Love rules the court, the camp, the grove.
ref: 1819–1824, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, London, (please specify |canto=I to XVII):
qualifier: social
glosses: Royal society.
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.
examples: text: The princesses[…] held their court within the fortress.
ref: 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XX, 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:
qualifier: social
glosses: Royal society.
Any formal assembling of the retinue of a sovereign.
examples: text: No solace could her paramour entreat / Her once to show, ne court, nor dalliance.
ref: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
text: I went to make court to the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle at their house in Clerkenwell.
ref: 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:
glosses: Attention directed to a person in power; behaviour designed to gain favor; politeness of manner; civility towards someone.
examples: text: Many famous criminals have been put on trial in this court.
topics: law
glosses: The administration of law.
The hall, chamber, or place, where justice is administered.
examples: text: The court started proceedings at 11 o'clock.
text: Next month, Clemons will be brought before a court presided over by a "special master", who will review the case one last time. The hearing will be unprecedented in its remit, but at its core will be a simple issue: should Reggie Clemons live or die?
ref: 2012 August 21, Ed Pilkington, “Death penalty on trial: should Reggie Clemons live or die?”, in The Guardian:
text: 536(2.1). ... You have the option to elect to be tried by a provincial court judge without a jury; or you may elect to be tried by a judge without a jury; or you may elect to be tried by a court composed of a judge and jury.
ref: 1985, “Criminal Code (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46)”, in Justice Canada, retrieved 01 Mar 2020:
topics: law
glosses: The administration of law.
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.
examples: text: Each province in Canada has three courts: a provincial court, a superior court, and a court of appeals.
topics: law
glosses: The administration of law.
An organization for the administration of law, consisting of a body of judges with a certain jurisdiction along with its administrative apparatus.
examples: text: A case conference in person was convened.... To emphasize that it was a Court proceeding the Court was gowned.
ref: 2017 May 5, Kevin R. Aalto, “Gordon v. Canada, 2017 FC 454”, in CanLII, retrieved 23 Feb 2020:
text: [5]... defence alleges there is a reasonable apprehension of bias based on the cumulative effect of several issues including the following: (1) The Court was “crying” during the victim impact statement; (2) The Court laughed or “scoffed” when defence stated its sentencing position; ...(6) The Court’s tone, facial expression and demeanor throughout the proceedings...
ref: 2018 August 17, M.F. McParland, “R. v. Carlson, 2018 BCPC 209”, in CanLII, retrieved 01 Mar 2020:
topics: law
glosses: The administration of law.
The judge or judges or other judicial officer presiding in a particular matter, particularly as distinguished from the counsel or jury, or both.
examples: text: The court is now in session.
text: On Thursday morning, a Hennepin County judge formally sentenced Julissa Thaler to the life sentence for Eli Hart's murder. […] After court, family said their focus now turns to fundraising a playground in Mound in Eli Hart's honor […]
ref: 2023 February 16, WCCO Staff, “Julissa Thaler sentenced to life in prison for murdering 6-year-old son, Eli Hart”, in cbsnews.com:
topics: law
glosses: The administration of law.
The session of a judicial assembly.
topics: law
glosses: The administration of law.
Any jurisdiction, civil, military, or ecclesiastical.
examples: text: The local sports club has six tennis courts and two squash courts.
text: The shuttlecock landed outside the court.
text: By one o'clock the place was choc-a-bloc. […] The restaurant was packed, and the promenade between the two main courts and the subsidiary courts was thronged with healthy-looking youngish people, drawn to the Mecca of tennis from all parts of the country.
ref: 1935, George Goodchild, chapter 5, in Death on the Centre Court:
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A place arranged for playing the games of tennis, basketball, handball, badminton, volleyball, squash and some other games
examples: text: 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.
ref: 2010, Cara Marcus, Faulkner Hospital:
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A place arranged for playing the games of tennis, basketball, handball, badminton, volleyball, squash and some other games
one of the two divisions of a tennis, badminton or volleyball court, in which the player or players of each team play
examples: text: The male Wilson's bird of paradise clears an area of rainforest to create a court in which to perform an elaborate mating dance.
topics: biology
natural-sciences
ornithology
glosses: A space prepared and decorated by certain bird species in which to advertise themselves for a mate.
Derived terms: accourt
administrative court
agreement on the choice of court
all-court
all-court press
anticourt
apex court
appeal court
appeals court
appellate court
auto court
backcourt
badminton court
ballcourt
baron court
base court
basketball court
basse court
cabin court
charter court
choice of court agreement
civil court
clay court
claycourt
constitutional court
contempt of court
cottage court
county court
courtable
court appearance
court baron
court-baron
court bouillon
courtbred
court card
court case
court circular
court costs
courtcraft
court-cupboard
court customary
courter
court fee
court fight
courtful
court guide
court hand
court holy bread
court holy water
courthouse
court-house
court in banc
court in bank
court jester
court lady
court-leet
courtless
courtlet
courtlike
courtling
courtly
court-marshal
court-martial
court martial
court-martialed
courtnoll
court of appeal
court of appeals
court of cassation
court of equity
court of first instance
court of honor
court of honour
court of inquiry
court of justice
court of last resort
court of law
court of public opinion
court of record
court of regard
court of second instance
court of world opinion
court order
court-packing
court piece
court plaster
court poor box
court reporter
court-ridden
court roll
courtroom
court sense
court shoe
courtside
court sword
court tennis
courtward
courtwards
courtwear
courtyard
covered court
cross-court
crosscourt
day in court
deuce court
Diplock court
downcourt
drum-head court
drumhead court-martial
Earl's Court
e-court
endcourt
family court
food court
forecourt
forest court
friend at court
friend of court
friend of the court
frontcourt
fullcourt
full court press
full-court press
Grange Court
grass court
half-court
half court
halfcourt
half-court line
half-court violation
Hampton Court
hard court
hardcourt
have the ball in one's court
high court
hold court
homecourt
in court
inferior court
in open court
International Criminal Court
juvenile court
kangaroo court
labor court
labour court
laugh out of court
law court
leave the ball in someone's court
lower court
magistrates' court
mags court
manorial court
midcourt
moot court
motor court
multicourt
mustang court
national court
night court
Nightingale court
noncourt
officer of the court
orphan's court
orphans' court
Orphan's court
outcourt
out-of-court
palm court
palm court orchestra
plenary court
police court
prerogative court
probate court
quarter court
quarterly court
you in court
service court
show court
small claims court
squash court
stannary court
subordinate court
suit court
superior court
supreme court
surrogate court
take to court
tennis court
the ball is in someone's court
tourist court
trailer court
trial court
upcourt
youth court