An alternative or archaic spelling of courtesan; a woman, usually of high social standing, who provides entertainment and companionship to wealthy or powerful men.
From French 'courtisane,' itself derived from Italian 'cortigiana' (from 'corte,' meaning court), reflecting the role these women played in royal and aristocratic circles.
The spelling 'courtezan' shows how English borrowed directly from other European languages—it's spelled this way in older texts because English printers hadn't yet standardized how to handle French loanwords!
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