courtesan

noun

cour·​te·​san ˈkȯr-tə-zən 

-ˌzan

also ˈkər-, 

-ˌzän;

especially British ˌkȯ-tə-ˈzan

plural courtesans

: a female sex worker with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele

Synonyms of courtesan

• prostitute
• hooker

Examples of courtesan in a Sentence

the protagonist of the novel is a composite of several real-life courtesans who plied their trade among the decadent aristocracy

Recent Examples on the Web

The colorful artworks largely depict the sensual hedonistic lifestyles of city dwellers including merchants, courtesans and kabuki actors. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026

The workers at Sheri’s Ranch, who call themselves courtesans, were given a new contract in December that would give the brothel control over their intellectual property and power of attorney. —Jessica Hill, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026

The plot revolves around the true story of a group of unsung women — a Virginia socialite, her mother, a formerly enslaved sister-in-arms, and the city’s most notorious courtesan. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 14 Jan. 2026

Marquise de Merteuil, betrayed by Valmont, embarks on a daring journey to become Paris’ leading courtesan. —Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French courtisane, from northern Italian dialect form of Italian cortigiana woman courtier, feminine of cortigiano courtier, from corte court, from Latin cohort-, cohors — see court entry 1

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined above