courtier

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person who attends or serves a monarch at a royal court

   The courtier carried the king's message to the foreign ambassador.

2. 2
   noun

   a person who seeks favor through flattery or close attention to someone powerful

   He behaved like a courtier, praising every decision the director made.

From Middle English courteour, through Anglo-Norman and Old French forms based on cort, meaning a royal court. The flattering sense grew from the behavior associated with people seeking favor at court.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary