definitions

courtier

[ kawr-tee-er, kohr- ]
/ ˈkɔr ti ər, ˈkoʊr- /
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noun

a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage.
a person who seeks favor by flattery, charm, etc.

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RELATED WORDS

beau, attendant, flatterer, wooer

Nearby words

courtesy car, courtesy card, courtesy light, courtesy title, courthouse, courtier, courting mirror, courtly, courtly love, courtrai, courtroom

Origin of courtier

1250–1300; Middle English courteour < Anglo-French courte(i)our, equivalent to Old French cortoy(er) to attend at court (derivative of court court) + Anglo-French -our < Latin -ōr- -or2; suffix later conformed to -ier1
Related formsun·der·cour·ti·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for courtier

British Dictionary definitions for courtier

courtier

/ (ˈkɔːtɪə) /

noun

an attendant at a court
a person who seeks favour in an ingratiating manner

Word Origin for courtier

C13: from Anglo-French courteour (unattested), from Old French corteier to attend at court
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for courtier

courtier

n.

early 13c., from Anglo-French *corteour, from Old French cortoiier "to be at court, live at court" (see court (n.)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper