courier 
courier (kor'ter), H. [< court, r., + -erl. Cf. 
courtier.] 1. One who courts, or endeavors to 
gain favor ; a courtier. 
Queen Elizabeth, the greatest courier of her people. 
An Answer to Baxter, p. 28. 
2. One who woos ; a wooer. 
A courier of wenches. Sherwood. 
From the Isle of Man a courier came, 
And a false young man was he. 
Margaret of Craignargat (Child's Ballads, VIII. 251). 
courtesan, courtesanship. See courtezan, cour- 
tezansnip. 
courtesy (ker'te-si), n. ; pi. courtesies (-siz). 
[Early mod. E. also courtesie, curtesy, court'sy, 
eurt'sy, curtsy, etc., whence, in the sense of 'a 
movement of civility,' and in some legal senses, 
the present archaic spelling curtsy or curtesy, in 
common use along with courtesy ; < ME. curtesie, 
curteisie, corteysye, cortaysye, rarely courtesie, < 
OF. curteisie, cortoisie, etc., F. courtoisie (= Pr. 
Pg. cortezia = Sp. cortesia, It. cortesia), cour- 
tesy, < cartel's, etc., courteous: see courteous.] 
1. Courtliness or elegance of manners; polite- 
1314 
courtress 
eldest son of Lord Lovat. In these legal uses often writ- 
ten curtesy. =Syn. 1. Courteousness, urbanity, good breed- 
ing. For comparison, see polite. 
courtesy (kert'si), v.; pret. and pp. courtesied, 
ppr. courtesying. [< courtesy, n.] 1. intrans. 
To make a gesture of reverence, respect, or 
civility; make a courtesy: now said only of 
women. 
The petty traffickers, COUrtieryt (kor'tier-i), n. [< 
That curtsy to them, do them rererence^ ^ . ^ cf _ ^^g^ The manners of a 
Lowly louted the boys, and lowly the maidens all courte- 
sied. 
Longfellow (trans.), Children of the Lord's Supper. 
Il.t trans. To treat with courtesy or civility. 
[Bare.] 
Prince Schwartzenberg in particular had a stately as- 
pect, . . . beautifully contrasted with the smirking saloon. 
activity, the perked-up courtierism, and pretentious nul- 
lity of many here. Carlyle, Misc., IV. 196. 
courtierly (kor'tier-li), a. [< courtier + -ly 1 .] 
Courtier-like ; characterized by courtliness. 
His courtierly admirers, plying him with questions. 
L. Wallace, Ben-Hur, p. 344. 
courtier + -y 3 . 
courtier. 
The prince politely courtesied him with all favours. 
Sir R. Williams, Actions of the Low Countries, p. 5. 
courtezan, courtesan (ker'- or kor'tf-zan), . 
[Early mod. E. also courtesane, courtisane, cur- 
tiztin; < ME. conrtezane, < F. courtesan, cortisaii 
(16th century), now courtisan, < It. cortegiano, 
cortigiano = Sp. cortesan = Pg. cortezSo (ML. 
cortesanus), masc., a courtier; F. courtisane = 
It. cortegiana, cortigiana = Sp. Pg. cortesana = 
; If " 
ness; civility; complaisance; especially, polite- - . - 
ness springing from kindly Reeling. p g- cortesana, fern., a court lady, a gentlewo- 
man, hence, orig. in cant use or mock euphe- 
mism, in It. and F. (now the only sense in F.), 
a prostitute ; < It. corteggtare (= Sp. Pg. corU- 
jar = F. courtiser, obs.), court, pay court to, 
< corte (= Sp. Pg. corte), court : see court, n.] 
If. A courtier. 
And [he] brought with hym grete plente of knyghtes, 
(for he was full of feire courtesie and a feire speker. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 469. 
Usefulness comes by labour, wit by ease ; 
Courtesie grows in courts, news in the citie. 
Get a good stock of these. 
G. Herbert, The Church Porch. 
What a fine natural courtesy was his ! 
His nod was pleasure, and his full bow bliss. 
Lowell, Int. to Biglow Papers, 1st ser. 
2. An act of civility or respect ; an act of kind- 
ness, or a favor done with politeness ; a gracious 
attention. 
Dame, seth god hath ordeyned yow this honour to haue 
so feire a companye, some curtesie moste I do for the love 
of hem, and also for the love of youreself. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 483. 
Make them know 
That outward courtesies would fain proclaim 
Favours that keep within. SAat., M. for M., v. 1. 
Hail, ye small sweet courtesies of life, for smooth do ye 
make the road of it ! Sterne, Sentimental Journey, p. 51. 
3. A gesture of reverence, respect, or civility : 
formerly used for both sexes; now, in a re- 
stricted sense, a kind of obeisance made by a 
woman, consisting in a sinking or inclination 
of the body with bending of the knees : in this 
sense now usually pronounced and often writ- 
ten curtsy (kert'si), Scotch also curchie. 
With capp and knee they courtsey make. 
Dutckens of Su/olk's Calamity (Child's Ballads, VII. 302). 
With honourable action, 
Such as he hath observ'd in noble ladies, . . . 
With soft low tongue and lowly courtesy. 
Shale., T. of the S., Ind., i. 
Some country girl scarce to a court'sy bred. 
Dryden, tr. of Juvenal's Satires, vi. 
With blushing cheek and courtesy fine 
She turned her from Sir Leoline. 
Coleridge, Christabel, ii. 
4. Favor; indulgence; allowance; common 
consent; conventional as distinguished from 
legal right: as, a title by courtesy; the courtesy 
of England. See phrases below. 
Such other dainty meates as by the curtesie & ctistome 
euery gest might carry from a common feast home with 
him to his owne house. 
Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 47. 
Courtesy (or curtesy) of England, the title of a hus- 
band to enjoy for life, after his wife s decease, heredita- 
ments of the wife held by her for an estate of inheritance, 
of which there was seizin during the wife's life, provided 
they have had lawful issue able to inherit. Such a hold- 
ing is called tenancy by the courtesy of England. It exists 
in some of the United States. A right of tenancy by the 
courtesy is said to be initiate when by marriage and birth 
of issue the husband has acquired an inchoate or expec- 
tant right ; it is consummate when by the death of the 
wife his life-estate in lands of which she was seized has 
become absolute. The courtesy of Scotland is of a similar 
kind, and is called curialitas Scotia. Courtesy Of the 
Senate, in the Senate of the United States, special con- 
sideration required by custom to be shown to the wishes 
of individual members or former members of the Senate 
on certain occasions. Specifically (a) The custom of 
yielding to the wishes of senators from a particular State 
with regard to the confirmation or rejection of appoint- 
ments to office within that State made by the President. 
(6) The custom of confirming the nomination to an office 
by the President of a member or former member of the 
Senate without the usual reference to a committee. 
Courtesy title, a title to which one has no valid claim, 
but which is assumed by a person or given by popular con- 
sent. Thus, when a British nobleman has several titles, 
it is usual for one of his inferior titles to be assumed by 
his eldest son. The eldest son of the Duke of Bedford, 
for example, is Marquis of Tavistock, and the Duke of 
Buccleuch's eldest son is Earl of Dalkeith. The younger 
sons of dukes and marquises have the courtesy title of 
Lord prefixed to their Christian names: as, Lord William 
Lennox. In Scotland the eldest son of a viscount or baron 
has the courtesy title of Master : as, the Master of Lovat, 
The fox was resembled to the prelates, courtesans, 
priests, and the rest of the spiritualty. 
Foxe, Book of Martyrs (ed. 1641), I. 511. 
2. A prostitute. 
I endeavoured to give her [Virtue) as much of the modern 
ornaments of a fine lady as I could, without danger of be- 
ing accused to have dressed her like a courtezan. 
Boyle, Occasional Reflections. 
courtezanship, courtesanship (ker'- or kor'- 
te-zan-ship), n. [< courtezan, courtesan, + -ship.] 
T"he character or practices of a courtezan. 
court-favor (kort'fa'vor), n. A favor or bene- 
fit obtained at court ; good standing at court. 
We part with the blessings of both worlds for pleasures, 
court-favours, and commissions. Sir R. L Estrawje. 
court-fool (kdrt'fol'), n. A buffoon or jester 
formerly kept by kings, nobles, etc., for their 
amusement. 
court-frumpti '* A snub of favor, or a rebuff at 
court. 
You must look to be envied, and endure a few court- 
frumps for it. B. Jonson, Poetaster, iv. 1. 
court-guide (kort'gid'), n. A directory or book 
containing the addresses of the nobility and 
gentry. [Eng.] 
court-hand (kort'hand), n. The old so-called 
"Gothic" or "Saxon "hand, or manner of writ- 
ing, used in records and judicial proceedings 
in England. 
He can make obligations, and write court-hand. 
Shak., 2 Hen. VI., iv. 2. 
By this hand of flesh, 
Would it might never write good court-hand more, 
If I discover. . Jonson, Alchemist, i. 1. 
court-house (kort'hous), n. 1. A building in 
which courts of law are held ; a building ap- 
propriated to the use of law-courts. 2. In the 
southern United States, the village or town in 
which such a building is situated; a county- 
seat: common in the names of places: as, Cul- 
peper Court-House, in Virginia. Abbreviated 
c. a. 
courtier (kor'tier), n. [< ME. "courtier, courteour 
(Gower), < OF. courtier, a judge, prob. also a 
courtier, < ML. "cortarius, "curtarius, lit. be- 
longing to a court (of. curtarius, n., the posses- 
sor of a farm or villa), < cortis, curtis, a court, 
yard, farm, villa, etc. : see court. As an E. 
word courtier may be regarded as < court + -i-tr 
(-yer), as in cottier, grazier, lawyer, etc.] 1. One 
who attends or frequents the court of a sov- 
ereign or other high dignitary. 
Chloe. Are we invited to court, sir? 
Tib. You are, lady, by the great Princess Julia, who longs 
to greet you with any favours that may worthily make 
you an often courtier. B. Jonson, Poetaster, iv. 1. 
In this and other passages there is something of the tone 
of a disappointed statesman, perhaps of a disappointed 
courtier. Ticknor, Span. Lit., I. 383. 
2. One who courts or solicits the favor of an- 
other; one who possesses the art of gaining 
favor by address and complaisance. 
There was not among all our princes a greater courtier 
of the people than Richard HI. Suckling. 
courtierism (kor'tier-izm), H. [< courtier + 
-ixm.] The arts, practices, or character of a 
courtier. 
In his garb he savours 
Little of the nicety, 
In the sprucer courtiery. 
B. Jonson, The Satyr. 
courtint, cpurtinet, Obsolete forms of cur- 
tain. Wright. 
court-lands (kort'landz'), n. pi. In Eng. law, 
a demain, or land kept in the lord's hands to 
serve his family ; a home farm. 
courtledge (kort'lej), . A perverted form (as 
if court -f ledge 1 ) of courtilage, usually curtilage. 
A rambling courtledge of barns and walls. 
Kingsley, Westward Ho, xir. 
court-leet (kort'let), n. An English court of 
record held in a particular hundred, lordship, or 
manor, before the steward of the leet, for petty 
offenses, indictments to higher courts, and some 
administrative functions. It has now fallen 
into general disuse. 
Where the ancient machinery of court-leet and court- 
baron had worn itself out the want of magisterial experi- 
ence or authority had been supplied by an elected council. 
Stubbs, Const. Hist. (2d ed.), 8'0. 
courtlesst, [< court + -less.] Uncourtly; 
not elegant. 
These answers by silent curtsies from you are too court- 
less and simple. B. Jonson, Epiccene, ii. 2. 
court-like (kort'llk), a. Courtly; polite; ele- 
gant. 
'Fore me, you are not modest, 
Nor is this court-like ! 
Beau, and Fl., Double Marriage, iv. 2. 
courtliness (kort'li-nes), n. The quality of 
being courtly ; elegance of manners ; grace of 
mien ; complaisance with dignity. 
courtlingt (kort'ling), re. [< court + -lingl.] A 
courtier; a retainer or frequenter of a court. 
Although no bred courtling, yet a most particular man. 
B. Jonson, Cynthia's Revels, v. 2. 
courtly (kort'li), a. [< court + -lyl.] 1. Per- 
taining or relating to a court or to courts. 
To promise is most courtly and fashionable. 
Shak., T. of A., v. 1. 
Ellen, I am no courtly lord, 
But one who lives by lance and sword, 
Whose castle is his helm and shield, 
His lordship, the embattled field. 
Scott, L. of the L., iv. 19. 
2. Elegant; polite; refined; courteous: as, 
"courtly accents fine," Coleridge, Christabel, ii. 
3. Disposed to court the great; somewhat 
obsequious; nattering. Macaulay. 
courtly (kort'li), adv. [< court + -ly%.] In the 
manner of courts ; elegantly ; in a gracious or 
flattering manner. 
COUrt-mant. n. A courtier. 
court-marshal (kort'mar'shal), n. One who 
acts as marshal at a court. 
court-martial (kort'mar'shal), v. t. To arraign 
and try by court martial (as an officer of the 
army or navy) for offenses against the military 
or naval laws of the country. See court martial, 
under court. 
court-mourning (kort'mor'ning), . Mourning 
worn for the death of a prince, or for one of the 
royal family or their relatives. 
courtnallt, n. [Appar. a var. of *courtner, < 
court + ->i-er, as in citiner.] A courtier. 
Good fellowe, I drinke to thee, 
And to all courtnalls that courteous be. 
King and Miller of Mansfield (Child's Ballads, VIII. 36). 
courtoist, a. A Middle English form of cour- 
teous. 
court-passage t, . A game at dice for two 
players. 
I've had a lucky hand these fifteen year 
At such court-paxsage, with three dice in a dish. 
Middleton, Women Beware Women, ii. 2. 
COUrtpiet, " Same as courtesy. 
court-plaster (kort'plas"ter), n. [So called 
because originally applied by ladies of the court 
as ornamental patches on the face.] Black, 
flesh-colored, or transparent silk varnished with 
a solution of isinglass to which benzoin or gly- 
cerin. etc., is sometimes added, used for cover- 
ing slight wounds. 
courtresst, [< courier, courtier, + -ess.] A 
court lady. 
If plain, stale slut, not a courtress. 
Greene, Verses against the Gentlewomen of Sicilia. 
