COURT

I. noun Usage: often attributive see: yard Date: 12th century 1. the residence or establishment of a sovereign or similar dignitary, a sovereign's formal assembly of councillors and officers, the sovereign and officers and advisers who are the governing power, the family and retinue of a sovereign, a reception held by a sovereign, 2. a. a manor house or large building surrounded by usually enclosed grounds, motel , an open space enclosed wholly or partly by buildings or circumscribed by a single building, a quadrangular space walled or marked off for playing one of various games with a ball (as lawn tennis, handball, or basketball), a wide alley with only one opening onto a street, 3. an official assembly for the transaction of judicial business, a session of such a ~ , a place (as a chamber) for the administration of justice, a judge or judges in session, 4. an assembly or board with legislative or administrative powers, parliament , legislature , conduct or attention intended to win favor or dispel hostility ; homage , II. verb Date: 1567 transitive verb 1. to seek to gain or achieve , b. allure , tempt , to act so as to invite or provoke , 2. to seek the affections of, to perform actions in order to attract for mating , 3. to seek to attract (as by solicitous attention or offers of advantages) , to seek an alliance with, intransitive verb to engage in social activities leading to engagement and marriage, to engage in activity leading to mating