A woman in historical times who had romantic or sexual relationships with wealthy or powerful men, often living a luxurious lifestyle.
From Italian 'cortigiana,' meaning a woman of the court, from 'corte' (court). The word originally meant a court attendant but shifted to describe women with relationships to powerful men.
A courtesan was literally a 'court woman'—and in Renaissance Italy, some courtesans were actually famous poets, musicians, and intellectuals who were more educated than most men!
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