courtship
part of speech
noun (courtship, courtships; also uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) (science) Special behaviour that animals use to attract a mate, such as dancing, singing, showing off bright feathers or bringing gifts: «the courtship dance of the peacock». tree →
2) (old-fashioned) The time when two people are getting to know each other romantically before getting married. tree →
3) (formal) Trying hard to win someone's support or favour: «the company's courtship of new customers». tree →
sense in the lessons
In science lessons on animal behaviour and life cycles, courtship comes before mating: male peacocks spread their tails, bowerbirds decorate nests, birds sing, and penguins give pebbles. In older novels and history, couples have a «courtship» with walks and visits before marriage. Phrases: «courtship display», «courtship dance», «courtship ritual».
examples
- The peacock spreads its tail in a courtship display. tree →
- Male birds sing in spring as part of courtship. tree →
- Some penguins give a pebble as a courtship gift. tree →
- In the old novel, their courtship lasted three years. tree →
- Bowerbirds decorate their bowers with blue things during courtship. tree →
- Great crested grebes do a famous courtship dance on the water. tree →
- Scientists filmed the frogs' courtship calls at night. tree →
- This was his courtship, and it lasted all through the summer. tree →
note
Uncountable in general (animal courtship), countable for one relationship (a long courtship). The old-fashioned verb «court» means to try to win someone's love («He courted her for a year»). Not connected to the meaning «law court».
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «courtship» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.