Wordwyrt

courtly

/ˈkɔːtli/KAWRT-lee
UK form converted from the US by rule · unchecked
/ˈkɔɹtli/KAWRT-lee

Meaninglike a court

Common meaning: polite and dignified

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Journey through time

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ghar-‘seize, grasp, hold, contain’source
  2. Latincohors‘enclosure or courtyard’source
  3. Old Frenchcort‘yard or court’source
  4. Englishcourt‘place where legal cases are heard’
  5. Englishformed in English from courtcourtly‘polite and dignified’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from court + -ly.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), COURT, p.138 · scan

Source words

  • cohors Latin · source word “enclosure or courtyard”

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