coterie

views updated May 29 2018

co·te·rie / ˈkōtərē; ˌkōtəˈrē/ • n. (pl. -ries) a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, esp. one that is exclusive of other people.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

coterie

views updated May 29 2018

coterie †society, club; exclusive set or clique. XVIII. — F. (in OF. fedual tenure, tenants holding land together), f. *cote hut (cf. †cotin) — MLG. kote COTE; see -ERY.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

Coterie

views updated Jun 11 2018

Coterie

a circle of persons associated together and separated from outsiders; an association for political or social purposes; a number of people meeting familiarly, usually for social or literary reasons, 1738. See also clique, company, set.

Examples: coterie of orchids, 1849; of revolutionaries, 1764.

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms