court
UK[kɔːt]US[kɔːrt]
n
A place where legal trials take place and legal cases are decided
n
An area marked out for playing games such as tennis or basketball
n
The official home of a king, queen, or other sovereign or dignitary
v
To try to win the favor or love of someone, often with the intention of marriage
v
To behave in a way that might lead to something undesirable
Etymology
The word 'court' originates from the Old French 'cort' or 'curt', meaning an enclosed yard or the sovereign's residence. This derived from the Latin 'cohors' (genitive 'cohortis'), which signified an enclosed area or a company of soldiers. The Latin term itself stems from the Proto-Indo-European root gher-, meaning 'to grasp' or 'to enclose'. The semantic journey moved from a physical enclosure to the sovereign's household gathered within it, and subsequently to the place where justice was administered by the sovereign's authority, eventually extending to sports arenas and the act of seeking favor.
Analysis
The word is a simplex form. It entered English from Old French, tracing back to Latin and ultimately a Proto-Indo-European root.
Examples
The case will be heard in the Supreme Court next week.
They reserved a tennis court for two hours in the afternoon.
The king's court was filled with nobles and advisors.