courte

Courte is the feminine singular form of the French adjective court, meaning short, brief, or concise. It agrees with feminine nouns, for example une histoire courte (a short story), une durée courte (a short duration), or une réponse courte (a brief answer). The masculine singular is court, the feminine plural courtes, and the masculine plural courts.

Etymology and form: Courte derives from the Old French form court, which in turn comes from Latin curtus meaning shortened or trimmed. French adjectives change form to agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, so court becomes courte in the feminine singular, courtes in the feminine plural, and so on.

Usage notes: Courte is commonly used to describe length, time, size, or succinctness. It occurs in many everyday expressions such as courte durée (short duration) and courte promenade (a short walk). In negations or comparisons, standard feminine agreement rules apply, for instance, une histoire courte, mais une histoire beaucoup plus courte.

Distance from related terms: Courte is distinct from cour, the masculine noun meaning court or courtyard, and from court as a legal or royal setting in English. When used in French, courte functions strictly as an adjective and does not by itself form a noun.

See also: court, courte durée, courtoisie.