• courtesan •
Pronunciation: kor-tê-zên • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. A mistress supported by a member of the nobility. 2. A sophisticated prostitute with an elite, if not courtly clientele.
Notes: Today's word refers to a highly successful entrepreneuse in the world's oldest profession. (I just borrowed entrepreneuse momentarily from French.) The occupation of a courtesan is called courtesanship or courtesanism. The word is rarely used as a verb meaning "to convert to courtesanship."
In Play: The prostitute should be sophisticated to deserve this appellation: "Ali Katz is a courtesan of fairly good taste plying her trade in an exclusive bordello in New Monia." They should also be expensive: "Wylie Kur is a multimillionaire who keeps courtesans in several apartments around Chicago."
Word History: If you spotted the court in this word, you are on the right track. Today's Good Word originally meant "a lady of the regal court". English borrowed the word from French courtisane, the French version of Italian cortigiana "lady of the court; prostitute", a word based on Latin cors, cortis "courtyard, enclosure", a reduction of cohors, cohortis. This word is a combination and reduction of com- "(together) with" + hort(us) "garden, plot". Latin inherited hortus from PIE gherdh-/ghordh- "to encircle, enclose", source also of Sanskrit grdha- "house, dwelling", Greek khortos "pasture", Albanian gardh "fence", Irish gort "field", Breton garzh "hedge", Icelandic garður "garden", Swedish gård "(court)yard, homestead", German Garten "garden", English garden and yard, Polish gród "castle", Russian gorod "city", and Serbian grad "city". (Now a gracious nod to grandmaster of GW suggestions, Lew Jury, for today's richly historical Good if naughty Word.)
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