An archaic or obsolete spelling variant meaning courteous or courtly; showing refined manners or courtesy.
From Old French corteis, derived from cort (court). This form is an earlier or variant spelling of 'courteous,' showing how English spelling stabilized over time.
Words like 'corteise' show English spelling was once much more flexible—people spelled words phonetically or by dialect, and standardized dictionaries eventually 'fixed' spelling, making older variants seem strange.
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