courthouse
UK[ˈkɔːtˌhaʊs]US[ˈkɔːrtˌhaʊs]
n
a building in which courts of law are held.
n
a building containing the administrative offices of a county government, especially in some parts of the us.
Morpheme Breakdown
court
house
court
legal tribunal
house
building
Etymology
the word 'courthouse' is a transparent english compound, formed by combining two old and foundational elements. the first element, 'court', traces back to latin cohors, which originally meant an enclosed yard and, by extension, the retinue of people within it. this evolved through old french to signify the sovereign's entourage and the place where justice was administered. the second element, 'house', is a germanic word of proto-indo-european origin, maintaining its core meaning of a building or shelter. the compound 'courthouse' thus logically and literally denotes the building that houses the functions and proceedings of a court of law, a concept solidified in english by the 15th century to describe the physical seat of judicial authority.
Analysis
Structure: court (legal tribunal) + house (building)
court: from old french cort, from latin cohors, cohort- (enclosure, retinue). in this word, it functions as the core semantic root specifying the type of institution.
house: from old english hūs (dwelling, shelter, building). in this word, it functions as the head noun, specifying the physical structure.
Examples
the trial was moved to the old courthouse in the town square.
we need to go to the county courthouse to get a marriage license.
protesters gathered on the steps of the federal courthouse.