courtly love
noun
: a late medieval conventionalized code prescribing conduct and emotions of ladies and their lovers
Examples of courtly love in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In this ground-breaking history, Sarah Gristwood reveals the way courtly love made and marred the Tudor dynasty.
—
Ashlee Conour,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
It wasn't necessarily associated with romantic love until the 14th and 15th centuries, likely influenced by medieval poets like Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare, who connected the day to courtly love, according to the Delaware News Journal.
—
Brandi D. Addison,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Feb. 2025
Based on several ancient saints (perhaps as many as four different religious people), the day came to be associated with courtly love in the Middle Ages, and still later came to be associated primarily with cards, chocolates and roses.
—
Jeff Burkhart,
The Mercury News,
14 Feb. 2024
The association of Valentine's Day with romantic love can be traced back to the Middle Ages when the notion of courtly love flourished.
—
Maeghan Dolph,
Fox News,
14 Feb. 2024
All Iran was a garden in the poetry of its local hero Ferdowsi, Ali explained; the same man had laid down both the outlines of a legal system and a code of courtly love.
—
Matthew Gavin Frank,
Harper's Magazine,
14 Dec. 2022
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Ashlee Conour,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
It wasn't necessarily associated with romantic love until the 14th and 15th centuries, likely influenced by medieval poets like Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare, who connected the day to courtly love, according to the Delaware News Journal.
—
Brandi D. Addison,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Feb. 2025
Based on several ancient saints (perhaps as many as four different religious people), the day came to be associated with courtly love in the Middle Ages, and still later came to be associated primarily with cards, chocolates and roses.
—
Jeff Burkhart,
The Mercury News,
14 Feb. 2024
The association of Valentine's Day with romantic love can be traced back to the Middle Ages when the notion of courtly love flourished.
—
Maeghan Dolph,
Fox News,
14 Feb. 2024
All Iran was a garden in the poetry of its local hero Ferdowsi, Ali explained; the same man had laid down both the outlines of a legal system and a code of courtly love.
—
Matthew Gavin Frank,
Harper's Magazine,
14 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Courtly love.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courtly%20love. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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