COUR

Cour is a term with multiple meanings in French and also appears as a place name in several regions. In everyday use, cour denotes an enclosed outdoor space, such as a courtyard within a building, a courtyard at a residence, or an open, paved area used for passage or activities around a domicile or institution.

In legal and administrative language, cour refers to a court or tribunal. It appears in compound terms such as cour d’appel (court of appeal) and cour de cassation (court of cassation), and is used with the feminine article la, as in la cour. The word carries formal and ceremonial connotations in these contexts and is central to discussions of jurisdiction and justice in French-speaking systems.

As a toponym, Cour appears in the names of numerous places in France and other French-speaking regions. These localities may derive their name from historical associations with courts, courtyards, or administrative centers linked to châteaux, churches, or estates. In some cases, Cour forms part of longer place names or serves as a standalone locality within a commune.

Beyond its common meanings, Cour can also occur as a surname or as a component in ramified geographic names. The English cognate is "court," reflecting the shared origin of the terms across languages.