cortege
Americannoun
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a procession, especially a ceremonial one.
a funeral cortege.
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a line or train of attendants; retinue.
noun
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a formal procession, esp a funeral procession
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a train of attendants; retinue
Etymology
Origin of cortege
1670–80; < French < Italian corteggio courtly retinue, derivative of corteggiare to court, itself derivative of corte court
Explanation
A group of people following solemnly behind, whether they're a celebrity's handlers or a funeral procession, is a cortege. A movie star may have a cortege of hair stylists, assistants, and agents—you can also call this an entourage or a retinue. A funeral procession, the group of mourners that walks or rides in cars to a cemetery, is another kind of cortege. The French source, cortège, means "train of attendants," from the Italian corte, "court," and the Latin root cohors, "retinue."
Vocabulary lists containing cortege
"The Iliad" by Homer, Book 1
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The Odyssey
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The Stranger
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It's happening weekly... someone will cut up a hearse or not let us out at a junction cutting in between the cortege and separating families," Mr Griffiths said.
From BBC • Oct. 27, 2025
Not respecting a cortege, especially those involving a horses, is also a safety issue, it added.
From BBC • Oct. 27, 2025
There will then be a private removal on Saturday morning, with the funeral cortege arriving at the chapel for a funeral Mass beginning at 12:00.
From BBC • Jul. 31, 2025
Sharon acknowledged the fans by raising her arms and giving peace signs before getting back into a people carrier and the cortege continued past more mourners.
From BBC • Jul. 30, 2025
When he died in 1844, forty thousand people viewed the coffin, and the funeral cortege stretched for two miles.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
