coterie
pronunciation
How to pronounce coterie in British English:
UK [ˈkəʊtəri]
How to pronounce coterie in American English:
US [ˈkoʊtəri]
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- Noun:
- an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
Word Origin
- coterie
- coterie: [18] In Old French, coterie was a term for an association of peasant tenants under the feudal system. It was probably derived from an unrecorded *cote ‘hut’. This would have been borrowed from Middle Low German kote, a relative of English cote and cot. In French the word gradually broadened out in meaning to ‘group of people sharing a common interest’, the sense in which English borrowed it in the mid- 18th century.
- coterie (n.)
- 1738, from French coterie "circle of acquaintances," originally in Middle French an organization of peasants holding land from a feudal lord (14c.), from cotier "tenant of a cote" (see cottage).
Example
- 1. Disclaimer : coterie are unwelcomed in this post .
- 2. This coterie appreciated that their priority was to " decontaminate " the tory brand , still seen by many as sleazy , greedy and heartless .
- 3. In the next few months this coterie may well decide the outcome of next year 's presidential election .
- 4. Bosses keep their numbers hidden from everyone but an elite coterie of managers .
- 5. Mary and her coterie gave a party to which we were not invited .