courtesan
/kɔːtɪˈzæn/noun
courtesan is spelled C-O-U-R-T-E-S-A-N: 9 letters. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,663rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, courtesan means “A female prostitute, especially one with high-status or wealthy clients” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of courtesan is courtesans.
How many letters and syllables are in courtesan?
| Letters | 9: C-O-U-R-T-E-S-A-N |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,663rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is courtesan?
Courtesan appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,663rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce courtesan?
- /kɔːtɪˈzæn/
- /ˈkɔːtɪzæn/
- /ˈkɔːtɪzən/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-courtesan.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of courtesan
- courtesans plural
- courtezan
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does courtesan mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A female prostitute, especially one with high-status or wealthy clients.
- 2
datedThe mistress of a royal or noble.
- 3
archaicA woman of a royal or noble court.
- 4
A fairy chess piece that can move to any adjacent square, that, when captured, the capturing piece is also eliminated.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Courtesan in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Hofdame , Kurtisane |
| Portuguese | cortesã |
| French | courtisane |
| Spanish | cortesana |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does courtesan come from?
Borrowed from Middle French courtisane, from Italian cortigiana, feminine of cortigiano (“courtier”), from corte (“court”), itself from Latin cohors.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).