courtesan
noun
cour·te·san ˈkȯr-tə-zən 
-ˌzan,
also ˈkər-,
-ˌzän;
especially British ˌkȯ-tə-ˈzan
: a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele
Synonyms
- bawd
- call girl
- cocotte
- drab
- hooker
- hustler
- prostitute
- sex worker
- streetwalker
- tart
- whore
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
the protagonist of the novel is a composite of several real-life courtesans who plied their trade among the decadent aristocracy
Recent Examples on the Web The popular comedy incorporates music, dance and mime, in a story about a humble sardine seller and his love for the most glamorous courtesan in Kyoto. 
oregonlive, 25 May 2022 It’s a risqué comedy drama based on the memoirs of real-life 19th-century British courtesan Harriette Wilson. San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2022 Sandra Yi Sencindiver joins as Enjoiner Rue, a former courtesan who became the politically savvy consigliere to Queen Sareth. Nick Romano, EW.com, 1 Feb. 2022 How funny to picture Mangeshkar—sustaining her soft but commanding soprano as a Mughal Empire-era courtesan, defiantly declaring her love for a royal—mere feet away from a toilet. Mayukh Sen, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2022 In that scene, a courtesan challenges an emperor in court by declaring her love for a prince. New York Times, 5 Feb. 2022 Sencindiver plays Enjoiner Rue, a politically savvy former courtesan to Cleon the 16th who now serves as consigliere to Queen Sareth of Cloud Dominion, played by Smith, who charms her way into the Imperial Palace while on a secret quest for revenge. Selome Hailu, Variety, 1 Feb. 2022 The fact that Vigée Le Brun painted Madame du Barry several times suggests how much the former courtesan’s reputation had changed, because Vigée Le Brun was the official painter of Marie Antoinette, Madame du Barry’s former nemesis. Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2021 But devising the piece, and then re-imagining it for the Broadway stage production, was initially a feat as seemingly foolhardy as romancing a courtesan. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 28 May 2021 See More
oregonlive, 25 May 2022 It’s a risqué comedy drama based on the memoirs of real-life 19th-century British courtesan Harriette Wilson. San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2022 Sandra Yi Sencindiver joins as Enjoiner Rue, a former courtesan who became the politically savvy consigliere to Queen Sareth. Nick Romano, EW.com, 1 Feb. 2022 How funny to picture Mangeshkar—sustaining her soft but commanding soprano as a Mughal Empire-era courtesan, defiantly declaring her love for a royal—mere feet away from a toilet. Mayukh Sen, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2022 In that scene, a courtesan challenges an emperor in court by declaring her love for a prince. New York Times, 5 Feb. 2022 Sencindiver plays Enjoiner Rue, a politically savvy former courtesan to Cleon the 16th who now serves as consigliere to Queen Sareth of Cloud Dominion, played by Smith, who charms her way into the Imperial Palace while on a secret quest for revenge. Selome Hailu, Variety, 1 Feb. 2022 The fact that Vigée Le Brun painted Madame du Barry several times suggests how much the former courtesan’s reputation had changed, because Vigée Le Brun was the official painter of Marie Antoinette, Madame du Barry’s former nemesis. Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2021 But devising the piece, and then re-imagining it for the Broadway stage production, was initially a feat as seemingly foolhardy as romancing a courtesan. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 28 May 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle French courtisane, from northern Italian dialect form of Italian cortigiana woman courtier, feminine of cortigiano courtier, from corte court, from Latin cohort-, cohors — see court entry 1
First Known Use
1533, in the meaning defined above
courtesans
noun
as in prostitutes
a woman who engages in sexual activities for money the protagonist of the novel is a composite of several real-life courtesans who plied their trade among the decadent aristocracy Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- prostitutes
- hookers
- whores
- bawds
- streetwalkers
- tarts
- madams
- cocottes
- madames
- hustlers
- sex workers
- call girls
- women of the street
- drabs
- floozies
- mesdames
- hussies
- temptresses
- coquettes
- minxes
- tramps
- libertines
- sirens
- chippies
- tempters
- wenches
- flirts
- doxies
- jades
- vamps