Definition of "courtesan" [cour•te•san]

• A woman prostitute, especially one whose clients are members of a royal court or men of high social standing. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The term courtesan has the added advantage of being politely derogatory enough to make it into mainstream parlance."
• "The high point for Defoe's high-class courtesan is her "little ball" in her swanky London apartments."
• "It occurred to me recently that the word courtesan would a better term to describe the fawning sycophants who make up the washington establishment these days, media shills, congress, and Demo collaborators."