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courtesy title

 - 2 dictionary results

courtesy title

–noun
1. a title applied or assumed through custom, courtesy, or association and without regard for its being officially merited.
2. a title allowed by custom, as to the children of dukes.

Origin:
1860–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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courtesy title  
n.  
  1. A title of no legal validity that is assumed or granted by custom, such as the academic title professor given to any instructor at a college.

    1. In Great Britain, the title that the heir of a high-ranking peer customarily uses, consisting of a secondary title accorded to the peer.

    2. In Great Britain, the prefixes Lord and Lady added to the given names of the younger children of dukes and marquises or the Honourable added to the children of viscounts and barons.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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