courtois
French, adjective/kuʁ.twa/
courtois is spelled C-O-U-R-T-O-I-S (8 letters) and appears 5.1 times per million words in written French, the 11,014th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Courtois is a French adjective meaning “courtly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Conforme à l’idéal de la chevalerie”.
What does courtois mean in English?
adjective
- 1
courtly
amour courtois
- 2
courteous, polite
Near-synonyms: aimable, poli
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. Conforme à l’idéal de la chevalerie. 2. Conforme au code des trouvères et troubadours. 3. Qui fait preuve de distinction, de politesse dans ses manières, qui parle et agit avec une civilité raffinée et avec considération pour autrui.
adjective: 1. Relatif à Cour-et-Buis, commune française située dans le département de l’Isère.
noun: 1. Habitant de Cour-et-Buis, commune française située dans le département de l’Isère.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of courtois
- courtoise feminine
- courtoises feminine plural
- Courtoise feminine
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce courtois?
- /kuʁ.twa/
- \kuʁ.twa\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to courtois
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is courtois in French?
courtois appears 5.1 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).