definitions

courtly love

noun

a highly stylized code of behavior popular chiefly from the 12th to the 14th century that prescribed the rules of conduct between lovers, advocating idealized but illicit love, and which fostered an extensive medieval literature based on this tradition.

RELATED CONTENT

New Ways To Say “I Love You”Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
YA Authors We Love To QuoteTeens and those a little older can all agree: These YA authors have powerful messages to share and we're here for it.
READ MORE

Nearby words

courtesy title, courthouse, courtier, courting mirror, courtly, courtly love, courtrai, courtroom, courtship, courtship display, courtside

Origin of courtly love

First recorded in 1895–1900
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for courtly love

courtly love

noun

a tradition represented in Western European literature between the 12th and the 14th centuries, idealizing love between a knight and a revered (usually married) lady
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

Culture definitions for courtly love

courtly love

A set of attitudes toward love that were strong in the Middle Ages. According to the ideal of courtly love, a knight or nobleman worshiped a woman of high birth, and his love for her inspired him to do great things on the battlefield and elsewhere. There was usually no physical relationship or marriage between them, however; the woman was usually married to another man.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.