court 
a genei'i:' tei MI 11-1 '! in itir Kiiu'lixh courts of common law 
In deMunate the ecclesiastical courts; s|>ecirically, the ;i|i 
propriatc crrlrMa.tna) court to \vhli 1 1 a common -|UW' court 
iiirjhl refer :l <|ilr -Mori. 
Many igsues of f:ict were referred by tlie royal tribunals 
to the finirt ('In ixtimt to i ilcriiinl there, anil thr inter- 
lacing, so to speak, of the two jurisdictions was the occa- 
sion of many disputes. SluHa, Const. Hist., | 399. 
Court leet. See emirt-lfft. Court martial, a court 
consisting of military or naval officers summoned to try 
cases of desertion, mutiny, hreach of orders, etc. Court 
Of Arches, a court of appeal belonging to the Archbishop 
of l 'auterhury, and held by the Dean of the Arches, as the 
oltlcial representative c,f the archbishop. Court Of as- 
sistance, the KoverniiiK iM.dy in som- ill In h>h par- 
i -hi--, corresponding to the flelectHMii in the initcd states. 
Court of Assistants, the highest judicial court of Mas- 
sachusetts iu the colonial period up to 1092. It conM-t< -I 
of the governor, ile|.iitv uiivcnior, anil assistants, and waft 
also caltcil the <;>>* <,'"'"'' ,- fnnrt. -- Court of Attach- 
ments, a court formerly held in England, before the ver- 
ilin-rsof the forest, to attach and try offenders against 
vert and venison. - Court of Brotherhood, an assembly* 
of the mayors or other chief officers of the principal towns 
of the Cinque Ports of England, originally administering 
the chief powers of those ports : now almost extinct. See 
Ciiviuf I'orl*, under cinque. Court of Claims, (a) A 
I uited States court, sitting in Washington, for the Inves- 
tigation of claims against the government! (b) In some 
states, a county court charged with the financial business 
of the county. Court of Common Pleas, originally, in 
England, a court for the trial of civil actions between sub- 
jects. It was one of the three superior courts of common 
law, hut now forms the Common Pleas division of the High 
Court of Justice. Courts hearing this title exist in several 
of the I uited states, having in some cases hoth civil and 
criminal jurisdiction over the whole State, while In others 
the jurisdiction is limited to a county. Court Of equity. 
See equity. Court Of guard, (a) The guard-room of a 
fort, where soldiers lie. 
Through narrow loop and casement barr'd, 
The sunbeams sought the Court of Guard. 
Scott, L. of the L., vl. 2. 
(6) The soldiers composing the guard. 
A court of guard about her. Partheneia Sacra (I6SS). 
Court of Gueatllng, or of Brotherhood and Guestllng, 
an assembly of the members of the Court of Brotherhood, 
together with other representatives of the corporate mem- 
bers of the Cinque Ports of England, invited to sit with 
the mayors of the seven principal towns. Court of High 
Commission, or High Commission Court, an English 
ecclesiastical court established by Queen Elizabeth and 
alM)lished for abuse of power in 1641. 
The a 1 ml it ion of those three hateful enurtd the North- 
ern Council, the Star Chamber, and the lli'jh Commission, 
would alone entitle the Long Parliament to the lasting 
gratitude of Englishmen. Macaulay, Nugent 's Hampden. 
Court of Inquiry, a court established by law for the pur- 
pose of examining into the nature of any transaction of, or 
accusation or imputation against, any officer or soldier of 
the army. Its proceeding is not a trial, but an investigation, 
generally preliminary to determining whether the accused 
shall be brought before a court martial for trial, fve*. 
Court of King's (or Queen's) Bench (so called because 
the sovereign used to sit in person), formerly, the su- 
preme court of common law in England, now a division 
of the High Court of Justice. Court of Lodemanaget, 
an ancient tribunal of the Cinque Ports of England nav- 
ing jurisdiction over pilots or li-demen. Court Of over 
andtennlner. Seeoj/cr. Court of Probate Acts. See 
Probate Act, under probate. Court Of Session, the su- 
preme civil court of Scotland, consisting of the president 
and senators of the College of Justice, thirteen in number 
altogether, eight forming the inner house, which sits in 
to divisions, and five the outer house. Court Of the 
Clerk Of the market, a court incident In an English fair 
or market. Court of the Lord High Steward of Great 
Britain, a court instituted for the trial, during the recess 
of Parliament, of peers or peeresses indicted for treason or 
felony, or for misprision of either. Sh'i'ln'n. Court of 
the ordinary, a court held by an English bishop, exer- 
cisin:: immediate jurisdiction as such. Court Of Trall- 
baston, a special commission instituted by Edward I. for 
administering criminal justice. Customary court, for- 
merly, in England, a court-baron when sitting to deal with 
the rights of the copyholders, the custom of the manor be- 
ing the rule of decision. In this form of the court-baron 
tenants probably sat only as jurors. Days In court. See 
tin 'i l . Forest court, in England, a court for the govern- 
ment of a royal forest. Freeholders' court. See court- 
baron. General Court, the designation given hi colo- 
nial times, and subsequently by the constitutions of those 
states, to the legislatures of Massachusetts and Sew Hamp- 
shire. They are so called because the colonial legislature of 
M assachusetts grew out of the general court or meeting of 
the Massachusetts Company. Inferior court. See infe- 
rior. - Landed Estates Court, a tribunal created by the 
Irish Laud Act of 1-70. to facilitate the acquisition of title 
to land by the tenantry in Ireland. Lord Mayor's Court, 
a court of civil jurisdiction held before the lord mayor of 
London, and dealing with cases in which the whole cause 
of action arises within the city of London. Manorial 
court. See court-baron. Maritime courts, such courts 
as have power and jurisdiction to determine maritime 
causes, or matters arising upon the high seas, whether civil 
or criminal, and whether arising out of contract or tort. 
Minar. Merchants' Court. See Stranger*' Court, be- 
low. Moot court, a fictitious trial, organized for the 
purpose uf affording practice in the trial or argument of 
causes to those, who are studying law. Municipal court, 
a court whose territorial limits of jurisdiction are conler- 
minotis with those of a municipal corporation, and having 
civil or criminal jurisdiction, or both. Old Court party, 
New Court party, two opposing parties in Kentucky -inli 
tics about I.SL'.'I. The legislature l!:ul aholishc.l the Sn 
pretue Court, on account of an obnoxious decision against 
a luw to relieve debtors and help a banking enterprise. 
and substituted a new court in its place ; hence the divi- 
sion. Parish court, iii Louisiana, one of a class of local 
83 
1313 
court* having general jurisdiction In probate, KUardian- 
ship. etc Strangers' or Merchants' Court, a court 
uf the Massachusetts colony existing until MJ02, conaist- 
ing of the governor, deputy governor, and two magis- 
trates, instituted for the l.cn.-tit of strange trading hi 
the colony.- Superior Court. () In Kngland, a gen- 
eral designation of the courts of Chancery, (Queen's Bench, 
and former Common Pleas and Exchequer, which are 
now, however, divisions of the Supreme Court. Ill Soot- 
land the superior courts are the Court of Session, Court 
of Justiciary, and Court of Exchequer, (b) A designa- 
tion frequently prescribed by law, particularly in the 
I niicit states, for a local court in a particular county 
or city, superior In Jurisdiction to the lower claw of in- 
ferior courts existing in the counties and towns through- 
out the State: as, the A'ujwrvir Court of the city of New 
York; the Superior Court of Cincinnati; the Superior 
Court of Cook county (Chicago). In Connecticut and 
Georgia the highest court of original jurisdiction Is term- 
ed the Superior Court. In Kentucky the name is given 
to an Intermediate court of appeal. Supreme Court, 
the designation usually prescribed by law for the high- 
est court of the state or nation which has any original Ju- 
risdiction of a general nature. In the United States the 
name is usually given to the court having a general appel- 
late jurisdiction orer inferior courts, and original jurisdic- 
tion In supervise the proceedings of inferior courts and of 
public officers, hy the special wriU of mandamus, certlom- 
rl. prohibition, habeas corpus, quo warranto, and the like. 
The term has no fixed general meaning apart from the stat- 
ute conferring it. For instance, in many States the juris- 
diction of the Supreme Court Is purely appellate and super- 
visory. In England the Supreme Court Includes the various 
divisions. Chancery, Queen s Bench, etc. (formerly called the 
Superior Courts, which have original and appellate juris- 
diction), and the Court of Appeal (which has no original 
jurisdiction, but reviews the proceedings of the various di- 
visions) ; and the decisions of the Court of Appeal are in 
turn reviewed by appeal to the House of Lords. In New 
York the name is given to the court having general original 
jurisdiction at law and in equity throughout the State, of 
all classes of actions, civil and criminal, except such minor, 
local, and peculiar matters as for reasons of convenience are 
confined in the first instance to inferior courts; and its 
final judgments are for the most part subject to review In 
the Court of Appeals. But it has also appellate jurisdiction 
over many inferior court*. In New Jersey the Supreme 
Court has both original and appellate jurisdiction at law, 
while the equity jurisdiction is vested in the Court of Chan- 
cery, and both are subject to review in the Court of Er- 
rors and Appeals. In Connecticut the court of general ori- 
ginal jurisdiction in law and equity is termed the .Superior 
Court, and the appellate court Is termed the Supreme Court 
of Errors. In Kentucky the term Superior Court Is given 
to an appellate court, whose decisions are In turn reviewed 
by a Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court of the Unit- 
ed States has original Jurisdiction In cases affecting am- 
bassadors and other public ministers and consuls, and those 
in which a State is a party. Its principal business Is in 
the exercise of Its appellate jurisdiction, which Includes 
(subject to complex restrictions in many classes of causes) 
civil cases in the courts established by act of Congress ; 
federal questions determined in State courts of last resort 
adversely to a claim of federal right; and a supervisory 
jurisdiction over criminal proceedings in United States 
circuit courts when two judges are disagreed. Surro- 
gate's court, in some of the United States, a probate court. 
The Courts Of the Lord, the temple at Jerusalem ; 
hence, a church or public place of worship. 
My soul longeth. yea, even fainteth for the courts of thf 
Lord. Ps. lixxlv. 2. 
To fence the court. See fence. (For other courts, see 
the word characterizing the title, as admiralty, augmenta- 
tion, circuit, county, etc.) 
II, a. Pertaining to a court; adhering to a 
royal court ; characteristic of courts : as, court 
manners; the court party in the civil wars of 
England Court holy-waterl, flattery; fine words 
without deeds. Kara. 
nuncle, court holy-utater In a dry house is better than 
this rain-water out o' door. Shak., Lear, lit 2. 
court (kort), v. [< court, n.] I. trans. 1. To 
pay court to; endeavor to gain the favor of; 
try to win over by plausible address ; seek to 
ingratiate one's self with, as by flattery or 
obsequious attentions. 
When the king was thus courting his old adversaries, the 
friends of the church were not leas active. Macaulay. 
2. To seek the love of ; pay addresses to; woo; 
solicit in marriage. 
He [the captain) fell In love with a young lien tie woman, 
and courted her for his Wife. Houxll, Letters, I. vl. 20. 
A thousand court you, though they court In vain. Pope. 
3. To attempt to gain by address ; solicit ; seek : 
as, to court commendation or applause. 
It is a certain exception against a man's receiving ap- 
plause, that he visibly court* it Stale, Tatlcr, \o. ->_'. 
What can Cato do 
Against a world, a base, degenerate world, 
That courts the yoke, and bows the neck to Caesar T 
Adduon, Cato, 1. 1. 
They might almost seem to have courted the crown of 
martyrdom. // Mtt. 
4. To hold out inducements to ; invite. 
On we went : but ere an hour had pass'd, 
We reach'd a meadow slanting to the north ; 
Down which a well-worn pathway courted us 
To one green wicket in a privet hedge. 
Tennyson, The Gardener's Daughter. 
II. iiitnnw. If. To act the courtier; imitate 
the manners of the court. 
courtepy 
Tis certain the French are the most Polite Nation In 
the World, and can Praise and Court with a better Air 
than the rest of Mankind. Lifter, Journey to Paris, p. 4. 
2. To pay one's : woo. 
\\ li.it kissing and curtinff was there, 
When these two couilns did greet ! 
Hobin UMKI and Out Stranger (Child's Ballads, V. 407). 
courtaget (kor'taj), n. Brokerage. 
courtalt. . See curtal, n., 3. 
courtantt, . See curtal, n., 3. 
court-baron (kort'bar'on), . A domestic court 
in old English manors for redressing misde- 
meanors, etc., in the manor, and for settling 
tenants' disputes. It consisted of the freemen or free- 
bold tenants of the manor, presided over by the lord or his 
steward. It had also some administrative powers, sue* 
ceeding within Its limits to the powers of the former court 
of the hundred. Also baron-court, freeholder^ court, ma- 
t:ri'il ' 
court-bred (kort'bred). a. Bred at court, 
court-card (kprt'kard ), n. A corruption of 
c<it-c<ir<l (which see), 
court-chaplain (kOrt'chap'lan), n. A chaplain 
to a king or prince. 
The maids of honour have been fully convinced hy a fa- 
mous court-chaplain. Swift. 
courtcraft (kort'kraft), . _ Conduct adapted to 
gain favor at court ; political artifice. 
court-cupboard (kort'kub'Srd), n. A cabinet 
or sideboard having a number of shelves for the 
display of plate, etc. See cupboard. 
Away with the joint-stools, remove the court cupboard, 
look to the plate. Shale., R. and J., L 5. 
Here shall stand my court-cupboard, with Its furniture 
of plate. Chapman, Mons. D'Olive. 
court-day (kort'da), n. A day on which a court 
sits or is appointed to sit to administer justice. 
court-dress (kort'dres'), n. The costume, made 
according to strict regulations, which is worn 
on state occasions connected with the court of 
a sovereign, or at ceremonious festivities con- 
ducted by the chief of the state, such costumes 
are either peculiar to persons having a certain rank or 
holding a certain office, and are uniforms strictly apper- 
taining to their position, or they are ordered for every 
person presenting himself or herself, and vary according 
to the occasion. The rules concerning court-dress differ 
greatly in character, minuteness, and strictness of enforce- 
ment. 
court-dresser (kort'dres'er), . A flatterer; a 
courtier. [Rare.] 
Such arts of giving colours, appearances, and resem- 
blances, hy this court-dresser, fancy. Locke. 
courteous (ker'te-us or kor'tius), a. [Early 
mod. E. also curtfous, curtese, etc. ; < ME. cur- 
teous, a rare form of the common type cartels 
or corteis, also variously spelled curtate, curtays, 
curtate, curtfse, curtcys, curtois, etc.. cortaig, 
etc.,< OP. curtets, corteis, cortois. etc., P. cotirtois 
= Pr. Sp. cortes = Pg. cortez = It. cortege, < ML. 
as if "cortcnsiji, < cortis, court: see court, .] 
Having court-like or elegant manners : using or 
characterized by courtesy; well-bred; polite: 
as, a courteous gentleman ; courteous words ; a 
courteous manner of address. 
I have slain one of the rourteousest knights 
That ever bestrode a steede. 
Ckiltle Maurice (Child's Ballads, II. 318). 
Which flue poyntes whether a scholemaater shall work 
sofolner in a childe, by fearefull beating, or curfew han- 
dling, yon that be wise, judge. 
Ascham, The Scholemaster, p. 42. 
Sir, I was courteous, every phrase well-ou'd. 
Tennyson, Princess, iii. 
= Syn. Civil, Urbane, etc. (see polite), obliging, affable, 
attentive, respectful. 
courteously (ker'te-us-li or kor'tius-li), nrfr. 
[< ME. ewMMr. cortaysly, cortaisliche, etc. ; < 
courteous + -/y*.] In a courteous manner ; with 
obliging civility or condescension ; politely. 
Than seide Gaweln that thei dlde nothingecurfft'tt/t/as 
worthi men ne that wolde he not suffre. 
Mrrlin (E. E. T. 8.), lit 489. 
The King courteously requested him (the Duke of <;iou- 
cester] to go and make himself ready, for that he must 
needs ride with him a little Way. to confer of some Busi- 
" -- Baker, Chronicles, p. 148. 
courteousness (k6r'te-us-nes or kor'tius-nes), n. 
The quality of being courteous ; complaisance. 
Godly menne . . . muste moue ami allure all incline with 
cmirtioutnette, ientlenesse and beneflclalnene ... to lone 
and to Concorde. J. I'dall, Pref. to Mat., v. 
courtepyt, . [ME.,&lsocourtpie,courtby,cowrte- 
by (early mod. E. also cote-a-)>yt, simulating 
cfc2 = coaft), prpb. < OD. kort, short, + mj = 
LG. pi, piqe, a thick cloth : see pea-jacket?] A 
short cloak of coarse cloth. 
Ful thredbare was his overeat courtepy. 
Chaucer, Gen. ProL to C. T., L WX 
And ketten (cut) here copes and courtpiet hem [them] 
made. Piers Plotcman (B), vi. 191. 
