courtly love
noun
a highly stylized code of behavior popular chiefly from the 12th to the 14th century that prescribed the rules of conduct between lovers, advocating idealized but illicit love, and which fostered an extensive medieval literature based on this tradition.
Origin of courtly love
First recorded in 1895–1900
Words nearby courtly love
courtesy title,
courthouse,
courtier,
courting mirror,
courtly,
courtly love,
courtrai,
courtroom,
courtship,
courtship display,
courtside
British Dictionary definitions for courtly love
courtly love
noun
a tradition represented in Western European literature between the 12th and the 14th centuries, idealizing love between a knight and a revered (usually married) lady
Cultural definitions for courtly love
courtly love
A set of attitudes toward love that were strong in the Middle Ages. According to the ideal of courtly love, a knight or nobleman worshiped a woman of high birth, and his love for her inspired him to do great things on the battlefield and elsewhere. There was usually no physical relationship or marriage between them, however; the woman was usually married to another man.