courtesan

American  

[kawr-tuh-zuhn, kur-] / ˈkɔr tə zən, ˈkɜr- /

Sometimes courtezan

noun

1. (especially in historical use) a mistress, paramour, or prostitute, especially one associating with noblemen or men of wealth.

---

courtesan British  

/ ˌkɔːtɪˈzæn /

noun

1. (esp formerly) a prostitute, or the mistress of a man of rank

---

Etymology

Origin of courtesan

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French courtisane, from Italian cortigiana, literally, “woman of the court,” derivative of corte court

Example Sentences

His female companion, Mumtaz Begum, 22, was a courtesan on the run from the harem of a princely state and had been staying with Bawla for the last few months.

From BBC

Instead, it brings the 17th century society vividly to life through a historically accurate spoken and visual language, which includes thousands of costumes for warlords, armies, peasants, courtesans and a bunch of shipwrecked European sailors.

From Los Angeles Times

With every one of his 18 viewings of “Mughal-e-Azam,” a hit 1960 musical about a forbidden romance between a prince and a courtesan, the young boy fell more in love.

From New York Times

After learning to read and write, she grasps the realities of her situation and organizes with her fellow courtesans to pursue freedom.

From New York Times

And when the Parisian crowds rolled into the Salon of 1865, they too went berserk in front of Édouard Manet’s painting of a courtesan, her maid and her high-strung black cat.

From New York Times