Tra từ court - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

court [court courts courted courting] noun, verb BrE [kɔːt] NAmE [kɔːrt]
noun

LAW
1. countable, uncountable the place where legal trials take place and where crimes, etc. are judged
•the civil/criminal courts
• Her lawyer made a statement outside the court.
• She will appear in court tomorrow.
•They took their landlord to court for breaking the contract.
•The case took five years to come to court (= to be heard by the court).
•There wasn't enough evidence to bring the case to court (= start a trial).
•During the court hearing, the prosecutor said she would seek maximum prison sentences.
•He won the court case and was awarded damages.
•She can't pay her tax and is facing court action.
•The case was settled out of court (= a decision was reached without a trial).
see also ↑courthouse, ↑courtroom
2. the courtsingular the people in a court, especially those who make the decisions, such as the judge and ↑jury
• Please tell the court what happened.
• The court heard yesterday how the man collapsed and died after being stabbed.
see also ↑contempt of court, ↑county court, ↑Crown Court, ↑High Court, ↑juvenile court, ↑Supreme Court

FOR SPORT
3. countable a place where games such as ↑tennis are played
•a tennis/squash/badminton court
•He won after only 52 minutes on court.
see also ↑clay court, ↑grass court

KINGS/QUEENS
4. countable, uncountable the official place where kings and queens live
•the court of Queen Victoria
•He was presented to the queen at court.
5. the courtsingular the king or queen, their family, and the people who work for them and/or give advice to them

BUILDINGS
6. countable = ↑courtyard
7. (abbr.Ct)countable used in the names of blocks of flats or apartment buildings, or of some short streets; (in Britain) used in the name of some large houses
8. countable a large open section of a building, often with a glass roof
•the food court at the shopping mall
more at the ball is in your/sb's court at ↑ball _n., laugh sb/sth out of court at ↑laugh _v., pay court to sb at ↑pay _v.

Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French cort, from Latin cohors, cohort- ‘yard or retinue’. The verb is influenced by Old Italian corteare, Old French courtoyer. Compare with ↑cohort.

Culture:
the legal system
In Britain, for historical reasons, the system of law used in Scotland is different from that in England and Wales, with the law in Northern Ireland similar to that in England. When making decisions Scottish courts look for an appropriate general principle and apply it to a particular situation. English law relies on case law, a collection of previous decisions, called precedents. English courts look at precedents for the case being tried and make a similar judgement. A basic principle of law in Britain is that anyone accused is innocent until proven guilty, so it is the job of the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant (= the person accused) has broken the law as stated in the charge. If this cannot be proved the person must be acquitted (= allowed to go free, with no blame attached).
British law is divided into civil law which concerns disagreements between individuals about matters such as business contracts, and criminal law which deals with offences that involve harm to a person resulting from somebody breaking the law. In civil cases, the plaintiff (= the person who claims to have been wronged) brings an action against the defendant in the hope of winning damages (= a financial payment) or an injunction (= a court order preventing the defendant from doing something). Criminal cases are brought against criminals by the state, in England and Wales by the ↑Director of Public Prosecutions and in Scotland through procurators fiscal.
In England and Wales most towns have a Magistrates' Court where minor cases are judged and more serious cases are passed to higher courts by three magistrates called Justices of the Peace, specially trained members of the public. The more serious cases are heard in a ↑Crown Court by a judge and a jury. Minor civil cases, such as divorce and bankruptcy, are heard in the ↑county courts and more serious ones in the ↑High Court of Justice. Appeals against decisions from the Crown Court or the High Court go to the ↑Court of Appeal and a few cases, where a question of law is in doubt, are passed to the ↑House of Lords.
In Scotland, criminal cases are heard in District Courts by members of the public called lay justices. More serious cases go to regional sheriff courts and are heard by the sheriff and a jury. Appeals go to the ↑High Court of Justiciary in Edinburgh. Civil cases begin in the sheriff court and may go on appeal to the ↑Court of Session.
In the US, the judicial system is one of the three branches of the ↑federal government, but the legal system operates at many levels with state, county and city courts as well as federal courts. The right to trial by jury is provided by the Constitution. Each type of court has its own jurisdiction, that is it deals with certain kinds of cases. Both civil and criminal cases are first heard in trial courts and there is a right to appeal against the court’s decision in a court of appeals. Many states have family courts where people get divorced and small claims courts which deal with small amounts of money. States also have trial courts, which hear a wider range of cases, and courts of appeal called superior courts or district courts. Most states have a supreme court where the most serious appeals are held. States have their own criminal code, but some crimes are federal offences, i.e. against federal law, and crimes may fall under federal jurisdiction if more than one state is involved.
Most courts have only one judge, but some higher courts have several. In the US Supreme Court, the nine judges are called justices. The people on either side of a case are represented by lawyers, also called attorneys-at-law. In a criminal trial the defendant is represented by a defense attorney, or if he or she is too poor to pay a lawyer, the court will appoint a public defender. The prosecution is led by an assistant district attorney or, in federal cases, by a federal attorney.

Thesaurus:
court noun C, U
•She will appear in court tomorrow.
courtroom • • court of appeal • • appeal court • • tribunal • |BrE law court • |AmE courthouse • |formal court of law •
in a court/courtroom/tribunal/law court/courthouse/court of law
take sb to/come before/set up/apply to a court/tribunal/court of appeal
go to/refer sth to/appear before/attend/tell/preside over a court/tribunal
Which word? Court is the most general of these words and is used to talk about both the building where a trial takes place and the process of holding, attending and judging legal cases. Court of law is more formal and refers more to the place than the process. A courtroom is the actual room where the trial takes place. Law courts (British English) and courthouse (American English) refer to the building or place where the courts are.

Collocations:
Criminal justice
Breaking the law
break/violate/obey/uphold the law
be investigated/arrested/tried for a crime/a robbery/fraud
be arrested/ (especially NAmE) indicted/convicted on charges of rape/fraud/(especially US) felony charges
be arrested on suspicion of arson/robbery/shoplifting
be accused of/be charged with murder/(especially NAmE) homicide/four counts of fraud
face two charges of indecent assault
admit your guilt/liability/responsibility (for sth)
deny the allegations/claims/charges
confess to a crime
grant/be refused/be released on/skip/jump bail
The legal process
stand/await/bring sb to/come to/be on trial
take sb to/come to/settle sth out of court
face/avoid/escape prosecution
seek/retain/have the right to/be denied access to legal counsel
hold/conduct/attend/adjourn a hearing/trial
sit on/influence/persuade/convince the jury
sit/stand/appear/be put/place sb in the dock
plead guilty/not guilty to a crime
be called to/enter (BrE) the witness box
take/put sb on the stand/(NAmE) the witness stand
call/subpoena/question/cross-examine a witness
give/hear the evidence against/on behalf of sb
raise/withdraw/overrule an objection
reach a unanimous/majority verdict
return/deliver/record a verdict of not guilty/unlawful killing/accidental death
convict/acquit the defendant of the crime
secure a conviction/your acquittal
lodge/file an appeal
appeal (against)/challenge/uphold/overturn a conviction/verdict
Sentencing and punishment
pass sentence on sb
carry/face/serve a seven-year/life sentence
receive/be given the death penalty
be sentenced to ten years (in prison/jail)
carry/impose/pay a fine (of $3 000)/a penalty (of 14 years imprisonment)
be imprisoned/jailed for drug possession/fraud/murder
do/serve time/ten years
be sent to/put sb in/be released from jail/prison
be/put sb/spend X years on death row
be granted/be denied/break (your) parole
more collocations at ↑crime

Which Word?:
court / law court / court of law
All these words can be used to refer to a place where legal trials take place. Court and (formal) court of law usually refer to the actual room where cases are judged. Courtroom is also used for this. Law court (BrE) is more often used to refer to the building: ▪ The prison is opposite the law court. Courthouse is used for this in NAmE.

Example Bank:
•Court documents showing illegal transactions were released to the press.
•Court was adjourned for the weekend.
•Divorce no longer requires a court appearance.
•Do you prefer playing tennis on grass courts or hard courts?
•He hopes to repeat his success on the grass courts of Wimbledon.
•He received a court summons for non-payment of tax.
•He should be tried at the International Court in the Hague.
•He was a real gentleman both on and off court and a delight to play.
•He was charged with contempt of court after shouting at a witness.
•He was found guilty at Swindon Crown Court.
•He will appear in court tomorrow charged with the murder.
•I don't think that argument would stand up in a court of law.
•Mozart quickly became a favourite in court circles.
•Off court she is just as aggressive as she is on the court.
•Once a lawsuit is filed, a court date is set.
•Relatives of the dead girl were in court.
•She is a good player on hard courts.
•She is too young to appear before the court.
•She should seek damages through the civil courts.
•She tried to get a court order to prevent him from coming near her.
•She was appointed a high court judge in 1998.
•The Supreme Court refused to allow the appeal.
•The banks may decide to appeal to a higher court.
•The case may be heard by a court of appeal next month.
•The case should not be allowed to go to court.
•The case was appealed to a higher court.
•The case will be tried before a criminal court.
•The child was made a ward of (the) court when her parents were jailed.
•The company argued there was no case to answer, but the court disagreed.
•The company asked the court to overrule the tribunal's decision.
•The court acquitted Reece of the murder of his wife.
•The court dismissed the appeal.
•The court heard how the mother had beaten the 11-year-old boy.
•The court held that she was entitled to receive compensation.
•The court issued an injunction.
•The court sentenced him to life in prison.
•The court upheld the plaintiff's claim of unfair dismissal.
•The court was presided over by Judge Owen.
•The dispute was settled out of court.
•The guilty verdict was quashed by the appeal court.
•The players are good friends off court and train together.
•The players have been on court for an hour.
•Their neighbours took them to court.
•There wasn't enough evidence to bring the case to court.
•They are likely to end up in divorce court.
•They could now face a court battle for compensation.
•They took their case to the Appeal Court.
•This is the highest court in the country.
•We are prepared to go to court to get our compensation.
•We were trying to convince the court that the rules should be changed.
•Will you please tell the court what happened on that morning?
•a member of the imperial court of Kyoto
•an indoor volleyball court
•life at court
•life at the court of Charles I
•the Court of Appeals
•the High Court of Justice
•During the court hearing, the prosecutor said she would seek maximum prison sentences.
•He won after only 52 minutes on court.
•She can't pay her tax and is facing court action.
•The building is situated in a medieval court at the top of Edinburgh's royal mile.
•The case took five years to come to court.
•The court heard yesterday how the man collapsed and died.
•a tennis/squash/badminton court
Idioms: ↑hold court ▪ ↑rule something out of court

verb

TRY TO PLEASE
1. transitive ~ sb to try to please sb in order to get sth you want, especially the support of a person, an organization, etc.
Syn: ↑cultivate
•Both candidates have spent the last month courting the media.

TRY TO GET
2. transitive ~ sth (formal)to try to obtain sth
•He has never courted popularity.

INVITE STH BAD
3. transitive ~ sth (formal)to do sth that might result in sth unpleasant happening
•to court danger/death/disaster
•As a politician he has often courted controversy.

HAVE RELATIONSHIP
4. transitive ~ sb (old-fashioned)if a man courts a woman, he spends time with her and tries to make her love him, so that they can get married
•He had been courting Jane for six months.
5. be courtingintransitive (old-fashioned) (of a man and a woman)to have a romantic relationship before getting married
•At that time they had been courting for several years.
see also ↑courtship
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French cort, from Latin cohors, cohort- ‘yard or retinue’. The verb is influenced by Old Italian corteare, Old French courtoyer. Compare with ↑cohort.

Example Bank:
•He spent three months assiduously courting a newspaper editor.
•The band has actively courted a young audience.
•At that time they had been courting for several months.
•He courted Jane for two years before she finally agreed to marry him.
•Your grandfather and I were still courting at the time.