court

¹court

noun, often attributive \ˈkȯrt\

Definition of COURT

1

a : the residence or establishment of a sovereign or similar dignitary

b : a sovereign's formal assembly of councillors and officers

c : the sovereign and officers and advisers who are the governing power

d : the family and retinue of a sovereign

e : a reception held by a sovereign

2

a (1) : a manor house or large building surrounded by usually enclosed grounds (2) : motel

b : an open space enclosed wholly or partly by buildings or circumscribed by a single building

c : a quadrangular space walled or marked off for playing one of various games with a ball (as lawn tennis, handball, or basketball); also : a division of such a court

d : a wide alley with only one opening onto a street

3

a : an official assembly for the transaction of judicial business

b : a session of such a court <court is now adjourned>

c : a place (as a chamber) for the administration of justice

d : a judge or judges in session; also : a faculty or agency of judgment or evaluation <rest our case in the court of world opinion — L. H. Marks>

4

a : an assembly or board with legislative or administrative powers

b : parliament, legislature

5

: conduct or attention intended to win favor or dispel hostility : homage <pay court to the king>

Examples of COURT

1. Court is now in session.
2. Court is adjourned for the day.
3. There was a large group of protesters outside the court.
4. a lawyer who has appeared in courts around the country
5. The case is before the state's highest court.
6. She's a judge on an appellate court.
7. The prosecution has new evidence to submit to the court.
8. Please explain to the court what happened that night.
9. The court ruled the law unconstitutional.
10. The court reversed the lower court's decision.

Origin of COURT

Middle English, from Anglo-French curt, court, from Latin cohort-, cohors enclosure, group, retinue, cohort, from co- + -hort-, -hors (akin to hortus garden) — more at yard

First Known Use: 12th century

Related to COURT

Synonyms

palace

Related Words

castle, château, estate, mansion, villa; alcazar, seraglio

Rhymes with COURT

bort, fort, forte, mort, ort, port, Porte, quart, short, skort, snort, sort, sport, swart, thwart, tort, torte, wart, wort

²court

verb

Definition of COURT

transitive verb

1

a : to seek to gain or achieve <court power>

b (1) : allure, tempt (2) : to act so as to invite or provoke <courts disaster>

2

a : to seek the affections of; especially : to seek to win a pledge of marriage from

b of an animal : to perform actions in order to attract for mating <a male bird courting a female>

3

a : to seek to attract (as by solicitous attention or offers of advantages) <college teams courting high school basketball stars>

b : to seek an alliance with

intransitive verb

1

: to engage in social activities leading to engagement and marriage

2

of an animal : to engage in activity leading to mating

Examples of COURT

1. The couple courted for two years before marrying.
2. He was courting his college sweetheart.
3. a pair of robins courting
4. The male will sometimes court the female for hours.
5. college teams courting high school basketball stars
6. The speech was clearly intended to court middle-class voters.

First Known Use of COURT

1567

Related to COURT

Synonyms

ask (for), flirt (with), invite, woo, look for, go steady, keep company, make love

Related Words

angle (for), fish (for); hunt, search, seek; provoke, tempt