court
Definitions
A place where legal cases are heard and decided; a tribunal or its judges
法庭，法院；审判庭（或法官）
A marked, level area for playing certain games, such as tennis or basketball
（网球、篮球等的）球场
The household, advisers, and residence of a monarch
宫廷；王室
An open area enclosed by walls or buildings; a courtyard
庭院，院子；天井
To try to win the love of someone, especially with a view to marriage
向……求爱，追求
To try to gain the support or favor of; to risk inviting (something bad)
争取（支持）；招致（危险等）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedcourt is the Latin cohors (an enclosed yard) arriving whole. The one word still fans out into all its senses: the original enclosed space (a courtyard, then a lined-off tennis court), the place where a monarch's people gathered (the royal court), the place where justice is dispensed (a court of law), and — from nobles 'paying court' to win favor — the verb 'to court,' to woo or to invite. Every sense is the same image: a contained space where people gather around power, attention, or judgment.
Root court still carries 8 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.take someone to court把某人告上法庭
- 2.court order法院命令
- 3.tennis court网球场
- 4.supreme court最高法院
- 5.court disaster招致灾祸
Example Sentences
- 1.
The court found him guilty and sentenced him to five years in prison.
- 2.
They booked a tennis court for Saturday morning.
- 3.
The young poet hoped to win a position at the king's court.
- 4.
He courted her patiently for almost two years before they married.
- 5.
By ignoring the warnings, the company was courting disaster.
Easily Confused
court (n.) vs courtyard — a courtyard is only the enclosed open space; court covers far more (law court, tennis court, royal court). Also court (woo) vs date — to court is older and formal, aiming at marriage; to date is casual and modern.