COURTESAN


Meaning of COURTESAN in English

[ ˌkɔ:tɪ'zan , 'kɔ:tɪ- ]

■ noun a prostitute, especially one with wealthy or upper-class clients.

Origin

C16: from Fr. courtisane , from obs. Ital. cortigiana , feminine of cortigiano 'courtier'.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.