courtship

[kawrt-ship, kohrt-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR courtship ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the wooing of one person by another.

the period during which such wooing takes place.

solicitation of favors, applause, etc.

Ethology. behavior in animals that occurs before and during mating, often including elaborate displays.

Obsolete. courtly behavior; courtesy; gallantry.

Nearby words

Origin of courtship

First recorded in 1580–90; court + -ship

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for courtship

Everyone showed lots of skin and courtship perfumed the air.
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means|Katie Baker|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They married on December 19, 2013 after a romantic “Walt Disney” kind of courtship, they both said.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen|Sharon Adarlo|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However, the Republican base will be far less forgiving of Paul for his criticism of police policy and his courtship of Sharpton.
GOP Won’t Forgive Rand for Cop Critique|Lloyd Green|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of the lefties she met was a sociology instructor named Philip Rieff, whom she married after a 10-day courtship.
Still Desperately Seeking Susan Sontag|Allen Barra|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She met Saad a few years later and the two were married in 2003 after a three-month courtship.
Alps Murder Twist: Iraqi Wife Had Secret American Ex-Husband Who Died on the Same Day|Barbie Latza Nadeau|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Courtship is such a delightful occupation for the young, that it seems a pity to mar it by bringing in questions of health.
Homo-culture|Martin Luther Holbrook
Then and forever ended the old system of courtship, which seems so laughable and even incredible today.
Vanishing Roads and Other Essays|Richard Le Gallienne
Said also of a young man who is supplanted by another in courtship.
English As We Speak It in Ireland|P. W. Joyce
When Mr. Saul had commenced his courtship, she had agreed with her family in almost ridiculing the idea of such a lover.
The Claverings|Anthony Trollope
It was said to date back to a poem, "Courtship," by Moses Mullins, 1672.
The Women Who Came in the Mayflower|Annie Russell Marble

British Dictionary definitions for courtship

courtship

noun

the act, period, or art of seeking the love of someone with intent to marry

the seeking or soliciting of favours

obsolete courtly behaviour

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 courtship

courtship

1570s, "behavior of a courtier," from court (n.) + -ship. Meaning "paying court to a woman with intention of marriage" is from 1590s.

courtship

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of courtship

Examples from the Web for courtship

courtship

noun

courtship