Courtship

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Courtship \Court"ship\ (k?rt"sh?p), n.
     1. The act of paying court, with the intent to solicit a
        favor. --Swift.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The act of wooing in love; solicitation of woman to


        marriage.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              This method of courtship, [by which] both sides are
              prepared for all the matrimonial adventures that are
              to follow.                            --Goldsmith.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Courtliness; elegance of manners; courtesy. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Trim gallants, full of courtship and of state.
                                                    --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. Court policy; the character of a courtier; artifice of a
        court; court-craft; finesse. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              She [the Queen] being composed of courtship and
              Popery.                               --Fuller.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  courtship
       n : a man's courting of a woman; seeking the affections of a
           woman (usually with the hope of marriage); "its was a
           brief and intense courtship" [syn: {wooing}, {courting},
           {suit}]