Where Did the Word “Court” Come From and What Did the Term Mean in Latin?

Like courtesy, the word court evolved from the Latin words cum, meaning “together,” and hortus, the derivative of horticulture.

So a court was an enclosed garden where young boys of noble birth learned proper social conduct.

In both the judicial and sporting sense a court is a specified area within which you are expected to practice courtesy while respecting authority.

Legal issues, basketball games, and tennis tournaments all settled on a “court”.