courtesan

(kôrt′ə zən, kôrt′ə zan′; also, esp.formerly, kʉrt′-)

noun

a prostitute; esp., a mistress of a king, or a man of wealth or nobility

Origin: Fr courtisane < It cortigiana, a prostitute, orig., court lady < corte, court < VL curtis: see court

See courtesan in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A woman prostitute, especially one whose clients are members of a royal court or men of high social standing.

Origin:

Origin: French courtisane

Origin: , from Old French

Origin: , from Old Italian cortigiana

Origin: , feminine of cortigiano, courtier

Origin: , from corte, court

Origin: , from Latin cohors, cohort-; see gher-¹ in Indo-European roots

Learn more about courtesan

courtesan synonyms

courtesan in a sentence

courtesan quotes

link/cite print suggestion box

More from YD