- an attendant at a court
- a person who seeks favour in an ingratiating manner
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
cour•ti•er /ˈkɔrtiɚ/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a person who is often at the court of a king;
attendant. - a person who flatters.
cour•ti•er
(kôr′tē ər, kōr′-),USA pronunciation n.
- a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage.
- a person who seeks favor by flattery, charm, etc.
- Latin -ōr- -or2; suffix later conformed to -ier1
- Anglo-French courte(i)our, equivalent. to Old French cortoy(er) to attend at court (derivative of court court) + Anglo-French -our
- Middle English courteour 1250–1300
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
courtier /ˈkɔːtɪə/ n
'courtier' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Buckingham
- Castiglione
- courtesan
- Essex
- Hamilton
- Leicester
- Lyndsay
- Raleigh
- Rizzio
- Sidney
- Southampton
- Surrey
- Abdon
- Devereux
- Gramont
- -ier
- Rochester
- white elephant