courtier

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court·i·er

(kôr′tē-ər, -tyər)

1. An attendant at a sovereign's court.

2. One who seeks favor, especially by insincere flattery or obsequious behavior.

[Middle English courteour, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French cortoier, to be at a royal court, from cort, court; see court.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

courtier

(ˈkɔːtɪə)

1. an attendant at a court

2. a person who seeks favour in an ingratiating manner

[C13: from Anglo-French courteour (unattested), from Old French corteier to attend at court]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cour•ti•er

(ˈkɔr ti ər, ˈkoʊr-)

n.

1. a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage.

2. a person who flatters.

[1250–1300; Middle English courteour < Anglo-French courte(i)our= Old French cortoy(er) to attend at court (derivative of court court) + Anglo-French -our < Latin -ōr- -or²]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

courtier - an attendant at the court of a sovereign

attendant, attender, tender - someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another

courtier

noun attendant, follower, squire, pursuivant (Historical), train-bearer, liegeman (Historical) a courtier who worked in the royal household

Quotations
"The two maxims of any great man at court are, always to keep his countenance, and never to keep his word" [Jonathan Swift Thoughts on Various Subjects]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

courtier

noun

One who flatters another excessively:

adulator, flatterer, sycophant, toady.

Informal: apple-polisher.

Translations

مِن حاشِيَة المَلِك

dvořan

hofdamehofmand

Höfling

courtisan

udvari emberudvaronc

hirîmaîur

cortigiano

medlem av hoffet

dvoran

saraylı

廷臣朝臣

courtier

[ˈkɔːtɪəʳ] N → cortesano/a m/f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

courtier

[ˈkɔː^rtɪə^r] n (= man) → courtisan m (= woman) → dame f de (la) cour

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

courtier

n → Höfling m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

courtier

[ˈkɔːtɪəʳ] n → cortigiano/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

court

(koːt) noun

1. a place where legal cases are heard. a magistrates' court; the High Court.

2. the judges and officials of a legal court. The accused is to appear before the court on Friday.

3. a marked-out space for certain games. a tennis-court; a squash court.

4. the officials, councillors etc of a king or queen. the court of King James.

5. the palace of a king or queen. Hampton Court.

6. an open space surrounded by houses or by the parts of one house.

verb

1. to try to win the love of; to woo.

2. to try to gain (admiration etc).

3. to seem to be deliberately risking (disaster etc).

ˈcourtier (-tiə) noun

a member of the court of a king or queen. He was one of King James' courtiers.

ˈcourtly adjective

having fine manners.

ˈcourtliness noun

ˈcourtship noun

courting or wooing.

ˈcourthouse noun

a building where legal cases are held.

ˌcourt-ˈmartial – plural ˌcourts-ˈmartial – noun

a court held by officers of the armed forces to try offences against discipline.

ˈcourtyard noun

a court or enclosed ground beside, or surrounded by, a building. the courtyard of the castle.

References in classic literature ?

Being naturally great mimics of men's actions, they showed themselves most apt pupils, and when arrayed in their rich clothes and masks, they danced as well as any of the courtiers. The spectacle was often repeated with great applause, till on one occasion a courtier, bent on mischief, took from his pocket a handful of nuts and threw them upon the stage.

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A famous shove this to end a good passage with; and yet, somehow, one could not muster upon one's lips the smile of a courtier's gratitude.

Then the seamen, attentive courtiers of the weather, think of regulating the conduct of their ships by the mood of the master.

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"Well, adorer and courtier of the Emperor Alexander, why don't you say anything?" said he, as if it was ridiculous, in his presence, to be the adorer and courtier of anyone but himself, Napoleon.

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The Lady Henrietta followed the usual progress of pretty women, particularly coquettish women; she passed from caprice to contradiction; -- the gallant had undergone the caprice, the courtier must bend beneath the contradictory humor.

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Of this George Herbert was glad, for although he was a good and saintly man, he longed to be a courtier. Often now he went to court hoping for some great post.

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He struck it, and then it was hit back by the courtiers who were playing with him.

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The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts.

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"Recollect, my friend," said Don Quixote, "all knights cannot be courtiers, nor can all courtiers be knights-errant, nor need they be.

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They were therefore in universal use among Prince John's courtiers; and the long mantle, which formed the upper garment of the Saxons, was held in proportional derision.

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At the head of the landing rows of courtiers were collected in magnificent attire, who stared at the queer old figure, and called to her, and explained to her, with every kind of sign, that it was strictly forbidden to mount those steps.

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Tense silence fell upon the little company of lords and courtiers as these awful words fell from the lips of a subject, addressed to his king.