Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Suitable for a royal court; stately.
- adjective Elegant; refined.
- adjective Flattering in an insincere way; obsequious.
- adverb In a courtly manner; elegantly or politely.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In the manner of courts; elegantly; in a gracious or flattering manner.
- Pertaining or relating to a court or to courts.
- Elegant; polite; refined; courteous: as, “courtly accents fine,”
- Disposed to court the great; somewhat obsequious; flattering.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adverb In the manner of courts; politely; gracefully; elegantly.
- adjective Relating or belonging to a court.
- adjective Elegant; polite; courtlike; flattering.
- adjective Disposed to favor the great; favoring the policy or party of the court; obsequious.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Suitable for a royal
court ;refined ,dignified . - adjective
Obsequious ,flattering .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective refined or imposing in manner or appearance; befitting a royal court
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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She received foreign ambassadors, royal messengers and engaged in courtly pastimes.
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He sat down and addressed the Caliph in courtly phrase, saying, “O Commander of the Faithful, I have brought with me an humble offering by way of homage: have I thy gracious permission to produce it?”
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Sevdah bears comparison to Portuguese fado and Spanish flamenco; all three are vocal arts rooted in Arabic courtly love songs from a millennium ago.
Sevdah at the Barbican Jessica 2007
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Sevdah bears comparison to Portuguese fado and Spanish flamenco; all three are vocal arts rooted in Arabic courtly love songs from a millennium ago.
Archive 2007-05-01 Jessica 2007
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Took her hand, bending down he kissed it in courtly fashion 202
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He took her hand and bending down he kissed it in courtly fashion.
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A purpose to serve, a treaty becomes "a scrap" -- in German courtly hands.
Raemaekers' Cartoons With Accompanying Notes by Well-known English Writers Louis Raemaekers 1912
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Spanish colonizers brought with them the idea of courtly love — the rather formalized notion of wooing a beloved, even though that love might never be returned.
Single Asian President Seeks Soul Mate for Very Public Romance James Hookway 2011
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It was a daring public statement given that Colombina was now married to Niccolò Ardinghelli, so all of it was done under the auspices of the troubadours, emphasizing the notion of courtly love and the ideal of untouchable beauty.
The Poet Prince KATHLEEN MCGOWAN 2010
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I think this may be an extreme example of what Anne Fadiman calls a courtly book lover.
Archive 2005-09-01 Tripp 2005
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