cortege
UK[kɔːˈteɪʒ]US[kɔːrˈteʒ]
n
a solemn procession, especially for a funeral.
n
a group of attendants accompanying an important person; a retinue.
Etymology
the word cortege entered english in the 17th century, borrowed directly from the french word 'cortège', meaning a train of attendants or a procession. the french term itself derives from the italian 'corteggio', which is based on 'corte', meaning 'court'. this traces back to the latin 'cohors, cohortis', signifying an enclosed yard or, by extension, a retinue. the semantic journey is from the physical space of a courtyard, to the people assembled there (the court), and finally to the formal procession of such attendants, reflecting a shift from place to the group and its ceremonial movement.
Analysis
this word is a direct loanword from french. it is not productively formed from separable english morphemes.
Examples
the funeral cortege moved slowly through the rain-swept streets.
the president arrived with a cortege of security personnel and advisors.
a long cortege of black cars followed the hearse to the cemetery.