courtier

noun

cour·​tier ˈkȯr-tē-ər How to pronounce courtier (audio)
ˈkȯrt-yər,
ˈkȯr-chər
1
: one in attendance at a royal court
2
: one who practices flattery

Examples of courtier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Times of London quoted courtiers who also said that the king was tired from his previous day’s hospital procedure. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2024 On Tuesday, courtiers released a statement about the title changes that will affect Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary and Prince Christian. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 2 Jan. 2024 Moctezuma is a capricious ruler who executes courtiers for minute breaches of protocol and who might just lose an entire kingdom for want of a horse. Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2024 Just like the reign change from Queen Elizabeth to King Charles in Great Britain, Danish courtiers said that King Frederik’s cipher would slowly replace his mother’s monogram in places like military uniforms. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 23 Jan. 2024 And yet, the narrative peddled by Trump and his courtiers conveniently presupposes that Republicans didn’t start losing big at the ballot box until the summer of 2022. Noah Rothman, National Review, 17 Jan. 2024 On Tuesday, courtiers quietly switched the spelling of the royal couple’s new baby’s name in official communications, calling the baby Prince Balthazar instead of Prince Balthasar as he was initially introduced. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 9 Jan. 2024 The Spaniards who have stumbled onto Moctezuma’s court are aghast at the stench of priests covered in blood from human sacrifices, while Moctezuma’s assiduously clean courtiers complain that the men smell of excrement and dogs. Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2024 These samurai can follow several roles like warriors, duelists, wizards, ninja, courtiers and more. Rob Wieland, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'courtier.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of courtier was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near courtier

Cite this Entry

“Courtier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courtier. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

courtier

noun
court·​ier
ˈkōrt-ē-ər,
ˈkȯrt-
1
: a person in attendance to a ruler at a royal court
2
: a person who practices flattery

More from Merriam-Webster on courtier

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