Originally meant a female courtier, a
woman of a
royal or noble court. By the Renaissance, the connotations of the word had acquired that of the mistress or concubine of a king or a noble.
Now it generally means a high-class
prostitute whose clients are wealthy men.
"Christian, I'm a courtesan; I'm paid to make men believe what they want to believe." -Satine, Moulin Rouge
Thaïs, Empress Theodora, Diane de Poitiers,
Mary Boleyn, Anne Boleyn, Madame du Pompadour, Marie Duplessis, and Mata
Hari are but a few of many
famous courtesans.