court

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. An extent of open ground partially or completely enclosed by walls or buildings; a courtyard.
2. n. A short street, especially a wide alley walled by buildings on three sides.
3. n. A large open section of a building, often with a glass roof or skylight.
4. n. A large building, such as a mansion, standing in a courtyard.
5. n. The place of residence of a sovereign or dignitary; a royal mansion or palace.
6. n. The retinue of a sovereign, including the royal family and personal servants, advisers, and ministers.
7. n. A sovereign's governing body, including the council of ministers and state advisers.
8. n. A formal meeting or reception presided over by a sovereign.
9. n. Law A person or body of persons whose task is to hear and submit a decision on cases at law.
10. n. Law The building, hall, or room in which such cases are heard and determined.
11. n. Law The regular session of a judicial assembly.
12. n. Law A similar authorized tribunal having military or ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
13. n. Sports An open level area marked with appropriate lines, upon which a game, such as tennis, handball, or basketball, is played.
14. n. The body of directors of an organization, especially of a corporation.
15. n. A legislative assembly.
16. v. To attempt to gain; seek: courting wealth and fame.
17. v. To behave so as to invite or incur: courts disaster by taking drugs.
18. v. To try to gain the love or affections of, especially to seek to marry.
19. v. To attempt to gain the favor of by attention or flattery: a salesperson courting a potential customer.
20. v. Zoology To behave so as to attract (a mate).
21. v. To pursue a courtship; woo.
22. v. Zoology To engage in courtship behavior.
23. idiom. pay court to To flatter with solicitous overtures in an attempt to obtain something or clear away antagonism.
24. idiom. pay court to To seek someone's love; woo.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. An inclosed space connected with a building or buildings of any kind, and serving properly for their particular uses or service; a courtyard. It may be surrounded wholly or in part by a wall or fence, or by buildings, and is sometimes covered over entirely or partially with glass, as is common in the case of the central courts of large French buildings.
2. n. A short arm of a public street, inclosed on three sides by buildings: as, the former Jauncey court on Wall street in New York.
3. n. A smooth, level plot of ground or floor, on which tennis, rackets, or hand-ball is played. See tennis-court.
4. n. A palace; the residence of a sovereign or other high dignitary; used absolutely, the place where a sovereign holds state, surrounded by his official attendants and tokens of his dignity: as, to be presented at court.
5. n. All the surroundings of a sovereign in his regal state; specifically, the collective body of persons who compose the retinue or council of a sovereign or other princely dignitary.
6. n. The hall, chamber, or place where justice is administered.
7. n. In law, a tribunal duly constituted, and present at a time and place fixed pursuant to law, for the judicial investigation and determination of controversies. The court is not the judge or judges as individuals, but only when at the proper time and place they exercise judicial powers. Courts are of record (that is, such that their proceedings are enrolled for perpetual memory) or not of record, general or local, of first instance or appellate, etc. The judicial system differs in different States and countries, and is constantly being modified. See phrases below.
8. n. Any jurisdiction, customary, ecclesiastical, or military, conferring the power of trial for offenses, the redress of wrongs, etc.: as, a manorial court; an archbishop's court; a court martial.
9. n. A session of a court in either of the two last preceding senses.
10. n. The meeting of a corporation or the principal members of a corporation: as, the court of directors; the court of aldermen.
11. n. Attention directed to a person in power; address to make favor; the art of insinuation; the art of pleasing; significant attention or adulation: as, to make court (that is, to attempt to please by flattery and address); to pay court (to approach with gallantries, to woo).
12. n. In some States, a county court charged with the financial business of the county.
13. n. The soldiers composing the guard.
14. n. A designation frequently prescribed by law, particularly in the United States, for a local court in a particular county or city, superior in jurisdiction to the lower class of inferior courts existing in the counties and towns throughout the State: as, the Superior Court of the city of New York; the Superior Court of Cincinnati; the Superior Court of Cook county (Chicago). In Connecticut and Georgia the highest court of original jurisdiction is termed the Superior Court. In Kentucky the name is given to an intermediate court of appeal.
15. Pertaining to a court; adhering to a royal court; characteristic of courts: as, court manners; the court party in the civil wars of England.
16. To pay court to; endeavor to gain the favor of; try to win over by plausible address; seek to ingratiate one's self with, as by flattery or obsequious attentions.
17. To seek the love of; pay addresses to; woo; solicit in marriage.
18. To attempt to gain by address; solicit; seek: as, to court commendation or applause.
19. To hold out inducements to; invite.
20. To act the courtier; imitate the manners of the court.
21. To pay one's addresses; woo.
22. n. Among Foresters and some other friendly societies, a local branch or lodge.

Wiktionary

1. n. An enclosed space; a courtyard; an uncovered area shut in by the walls of a building, or by different building; also, a space opening from a street and nearly surrounded by houses; a blind alley.
2. n. The residence of a sovereign, prince, nobleman, or ether dignitary; a palace.
3. n. The collective body of persons composing the retinue of a sovereign or person high in authority; all the surroundings of a sovereign in his regal state.
4. n. Any formal assembling of the retinue of a sovereign; as, to hold a court.
5. n. Attention directed to a person in power; conduct or address designed to gain favor; courtliness of manners; civility; compliment; flattery.
6. n. The hall, chamber, or place, where justice is administered.
7. n. The persons officially assembled under authority of law, at the appropriate time and place, for the administration of justice; an official assembly, legally met together for the transaction of judicial business; a judge or judges sitting for the hearing or trial of causes.
8. n. A tribunal established for the administration of justice.
9. n. The judge or judges; as distinguished from the counsel or jury, or both.
10. n. The session of a judicial assembly.
11. n. Any jurisdiction, civil, military, or ecclesiastical.
12. n. sports A place arranged for playing the games of tennis, basketball, squash, badminton, volleyball and some other games; also, one of the divisions of a tennis court.
13. v. transitive To seek to achieve or win.
14. v. transitive To risk (a consequence, usually negative).
15. v. transitive To win a commitment to marry from.
16. v. transitive To engage in behavior leading to mating.
17. v. transitive To attempt to attract.
18. v. transitive To attempt to gain alliance with.
19. v. intransitive To engage in activities intended to win someone's affections.
20. v. intransitive To engage in courtship behavior.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. An inclosed space; a courtyard; an uncovered area shut in by the walls of a building, or by different building; also, a space opening from a street and nearly surrounded by houses; a blind alley.
2. n. The residence of a sovereign, prince, nobleman, or other dignitary; a palace.
3. n. The collective body of persons composing the retinue of a sovereign or person high in authority; all the surroundings of a sovereign in his regal state.
4. n. Any formal assembling of the retinue of a sovereign.
5. n. Attention directed to a person in power; conduct or address designed to gain favor; courtliness of manners; civility; compliment; flattery.
6. n. The hall, chamber, or place, where justice is administered.
7. n. The persons officially assembled under authority of law, at the appropriate time and place, for the administration of justice; an official assembly, legally met together for the transaction of judicial business; a judge or judges sitting for the hearing or trial of causes.
8. n. A tribunal established for the administration of justice.
9. n. The judge or judges; as distinguished from the counsel or jury, or both.
10. n. The session of a judicial assembly.
11. n. Any jurisdiction, civil, military, or ecclesiastical.
12. n. A place arranged for playing the game of tennis; also, one of the divisions of a tennis court.
13. v. To endeavor to gain the favor of by attention or flattery; to try to ingratiate one's self with.
14. v. To endeavor to gain the affections of; to seek in marriage; to woo.
15. v. To attempt to gain; to solicit; to seek.
16. v. To invite by attractions; to allure; to attract.
17. v. To play the lover; to woo.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a specially marked horizontal area within which a game is played
2. v. seek someone's favor
3. n. a tribunal that is presided over by a magistrate or by one or more judges who administer justice according to the laws
4. n. a hotel for motorists; provides direct access from rooms to parking area
5. n. an area wholly or partly surrounded by walls or buildings
6. n. the family and retinue of a sovereign or prince
7. v. engage in social activities leading to marriage
8. n. respectful deference
9. n. the sovereign and his advisers who are the governing power of a state
10. n. Australian woman tennis player who won many major championships (born in 1947)
11. v. make amorous advances towards
12. n. an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
13. n. the residence of a sovereign or nobleman
14. n. a room in which a lawcourt sits