A publishing company known for educational materials, or a surname of Norman origin.
From Old French har meaning 'grey, hoary' and court meaning 'court, enclosed yard'. The name was brought to England by Norman settlers and later became associated with the publishing house Harcourt, Brace & World, founded in 1919.
Harcourt represents one of the 'Big Three' educational publishers in America, making this medieval surname synonymous with textbooks for millions of students. It's remarkable how a name meaning 'grey court' in Norman French became so central to American education that many students know it better than their own school's name.
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