Meaning & use
courtesan
A woman, historically often of high social standing, who had wealthy or powerful men as lovers or clients.
See it in a sentence
Renaissance courts sometimes included a famous courtesan celebrated for her wit and artistic talent.
The novel follows a courtesan navigating politics and romance in eighteenth-century Paris.
A note on using this word
"Courtesan" usually implies a historical or literary setting and a degree of social sophistication, unlike blunter modern terms.
Words with a similar meaning
mistress
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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