Definition

1. Noun:
   • A funeral procession: "cortège" refers to a solemn procession, especially one accompanying a coffin to a burial or cremation site.
   • A retinue or entourage: It can also mean a group of attendants or followers accompanying an important person.

Usage Examples

• (A procession of vehicles and attendants accompanying the president.)
• (The procession of vehicles for the burial ceremony.)
• (The group of attendants following the queen.)

Advanced Usage

• "in cortège": in a formal procession.
  • The dignitaries walked in cortège to the cathedral. (They proceeded in an orderly, ceremonial line.)
• "to form a cortège": to assemble into a procession.
  • Mourners formed a cortège behind the hearse. (They arranged themselves in a line for the funeral.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cortege (alternative spelling): a less common spelling of "cortège," used interchangeably.
  • The royal cortege was greeted by cheering crowds. (The same meaning as "cortège" — a procession or entourage.)

Synonyms

• Procession: a number of people or vehicles moving forward in an orderly, formal way.
• Retinue: a group of attendants or followers, especially of a person of high rank.
• Entourage: a group of people surrounding an important person.

Related Idioms

• "to follow the cortège": to participate in a funeral procession.
  • All the villagers followed the cortège to the churchyard. (They walked behind the coffin in the procession.)

Cultural Note

• In French-speaking countries, "cortège" is also used for wedding processions or carnival parades, but in English, it is most commonly associated with funerals or formal state occasions.