From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcourtesancour‧te‧san /ˌkɔːtɪˈzæn $ ˈkɔːrtɪzən/ noun [countable] SYa woman who had sex with rich or important men for money in the past → prostitute
Examples from the Corpus
courtesan• Was she to be regarded as a ghost, a courtesan, lost lamb, misunderstood goddess?• Here, Drachenfels incarcerated a courtesan who displeased him, and inflicted a dreadful curse on her.• Dancing women and courtesans were forced to marry.• Violetta is hardly the type to let lingering illness disrupt her lusty courtesan life.• Chameau, camel, was slang for an old courtesan.• True, she was not Warren's courtesan, but what of Benedict?• Here were still the great theatres, whose promenades had been paraded by the most sublime courtesans of the age.• He looked over his shoulder and smiled at Cecily the courtesan as she swept the porch of the church.Origin courtesan (1500-1600) French courtisane, from Old Italian cortigiana “female courtier”, from corte “court” 