cortège
Definition
- 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.