# court

Pronunciation: US say "KORT" /kɔɹt/; say "KAWT" UK /kɔːt/, AUS /koːt/

## Noun

1. A body of judges, or a single judge, with authority to hear and decide legal cases, together with its officials.
   - Simple: The judge or judges, and the official group around them, who listen to legal cases and decide them.
   - _The appeals court employs dozens of clerks alongside its bench of judges._
   - _Several lower courts share authority over family law matters in the region._
2. A marked-out area for games such as tennis, basketball, or squash, or either side's half of it.
   - Simple: A flat area with lines on it for games like tennis or basketball, or one side of it.
   - _The groundskeeper resurfaced the court before the tournament weekend._
   - _A regulation basketball court has clearly painted boundary lines at each end._
3. A sitting or session of a judicial assembly.
   - Simple: The time when a judge meets to hear and deal with legal cases.
   - _Court was in session for nearly six hours that day._
   - _The clerk called for order as court convened._
4. The hall, chamber, or building in which justice is administered and cases are heard.
   - Simple: The room or building where a judge hears legal cases.
   - _Reporters crowded the corridor leading into the court before the verdict._
   - _Security checked every visitor entering the court that afternoon._
5. A sovereign's household and attendants, their formal gatherings, or the palace where they live.
   - Simple: A king or queen together with the people who serve them, or the palace where they all live.
   - _The king's favorite poet held a privileged place at court._
   - _Rumors of the queen's illness spread quickly through the court, alarming her ministers and servants._
9. An uncovered space enclosed by the walls of a building or by several buildings; a courtyard, or a narrow space opening from a street.
   - Simple: An open space with no roof, closed in by walls or buildings.
   - _A small fountain stood at the heart of the inner court._
   - _The alley widened into a quiet court ringed by tall tenements._
10. A short street closed at one end so that traffic cannot pass through; a cul-de-sac. *(Australia, US)*
   - Simple: A short street that is closed at one end, with no way through.
   - _Their house sits at the end of a leafy court._
   - _Property on a court often appeals to families with young children._
11. Deferential attention and courteous behavior directed at a powerful person in order to win favor.
   - Simple: Polite attention you give to someone important to win their favor.
   - _The advisers paid elaborate court to the king at every opportunity._
   - _Ambitious young nobles paid court to the king's new favorite minister._

## Verb

6. To try to win someone's love, as a partner or future spouse; also, to be in such a relationship. Of an animal, to try to attract a mate, often with a display.
   - Simple: To try to win someone's love or date them, often hoping to marry. Animals court when trying to attract a mate.
   - _For months he courted his coworker with coffee runs and handwritten notes before she agreed to a date._
   - _Some people still prefer to court a love interest slowly, over many quiet dinners._
7. To try to win someone's support or something desirable, such as investors, voters or an award.
   - Simple: To try hard to win someone's support or to get something you want.
   - _Startups eager to grow will court investors at every conference._
   - _The director courted critical praise with a deliberately provocative film._
8. To behave in a way that invites a usually negative consequence; to expose oneself to a risk.
   - Simple: To do something that makes a bad result more likely to happen.
   - _Editors who publish unverified claims court legal trouble._
   - _His blunt criticism of the regime courted real danger._

## Other meanings

- (noun) In Hong Kong, an apartment building or housing development, including subsidized Home Ownership Scheme estates.
- (noun) A patch of ground that certain bird species clear and decorate in order to display themselves to a prospective mate.

## Origin

Latin cohors was contracted to Late Latin cōrs, which became Old French cort or curt and then Middle English court. Cohort is a doublet.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/court (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).