coterie
[ koh-tuh-ree ]
/ ˈkoʊ tə ri /
noun
a group of people who associate closely.
an exclusive group; clique.
a group of prairie dogs occupying a communal burrow.
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Nearby words
cotehardie, cotemporary, cotenant, cotentin, cotenure, coterie, coterminous, coth, cothamore, cothromboplastin, cothurnus
Origin of coterie
Synonym study
1. See circle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for coterie
British Dictionary definitions for coterie
coterie
/ (ˈkəʊtərɪ) /
noun
a small exclusive group of friends or people with common interests; clique
Word Origin for coterie
C18: from French, from Old French: association of tenants, from cotier (unattested) cottager, from Medieval Latin cotārius cotter ²; see cot ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for coterie
coterie
1738, from French coterie "circle of acquaintances," originally in Middle French an organization of peasants holding land from a feudal lord (14c.), from cotier "tenant of a cote" (see cottage).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper