Meaning of "court" in "court languages of Latin and French"

What is the meaning of court as used in as did the court languages of Latin and French?


It mean the language used in the king's court: presumably this is a reference to the kings of England, where the religious courtiers would often use Latin and the secular Norman courtiers would use French.

The peasants went on using Anglo-Saxon which evolved into English but that really only entered the court when the king was in dispute with his French cousins.


The court means the monarch's close circle: family, friends and advisers. In the words of the Oxford English Dictionary, it is The establishment and surroundings of a sovereign with his councillors and retinue.