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courtship

Pronunciation: /ˈkɔːt.ʃɪp/

The English word “courtship” has 6 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. The ceremonial performance of acts of courtesy to a dignitary, etc.
  2. The act of wooing a person to enter into a romantic relationship or marriage; hence, the period during which a couple fall in love before their marriage.
  3. The behaviour exhibited by an animal to attract a mate.
  4. The act of trying to solicit a favour or support from someone.
  5. Elegance or propriety of manners fitting for a court; courtliness; (by extension) courteous or polite behaviour; courtesy.
  6. The pursuit of being a courtier, such as exercising diplomacy, finesse, etc.; also, the artifices and intrigues of a court; courtcraft.

Etymology

From court (“demonstration of such respect as is traditionally given at court; attention directed to a person in power; behaviour designed to gain favour; politeness of manner; civility towards someone”) + -ship (suffix forming nouns indicating a property or state of being).

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.