coterie

noun

co·​te·​rie ˈkō-tə-(ˌ)rē 

ˌkō-tə-ˈrē

: an intimate and often exclusive group of persons with a unifying common interest or purpose

a coterie of artists

a coterie of astronomers

Did you know?

A coterie today is, in essence, a clique—that is, a tight-knit group sharing interests in common. Historically, however, coteries hung around agricultural fields, not garden parties. In medieval France, coterie referred to a group of feudal peasants who together held a parcel of land (that coterie comes from the Old French word for a singular peasant, cotier). Such associations of country people inspired later French speakers to use coterie more broadly and apply it to other kinds of clubs and societies. By the time the word began appearing in English texts in the early 1700s, its meaning had been extended to refer to any circle of people who spent a great deal of time together, who shared the same basic attitudes, and who held a passion for some particular topic. Coterie mostly appears now in formal speech and writing, and tends also to imply a bit of exclusivity—if you’re thinking of joining your local coterie, you may need to learn the secret handshake, or perhaps bone up on the latest techniques for harvesting barley.

Synonyms

• body
• bunch
• circle
• clan
• clique
• community
• coven
• crowd
• fold
• galère
• gang
• klatch
• klatsch
• lot
• network
• pack
• ring
• set

Examples of coterie in a Sentence

her coterie of fellow musicians

His films are admired by a small coterie of critics.

Recent Examples on the Web

The opera follows the doomed lovers and their coterie of artist friends chasing happiness against impossible odds. —Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024

The Nobel Prize in Economics has transformed into an insider’s club—a group dominated by a small network of elite universities, particularly within the U.S., and a coterie of scholars trained by a select group of influential economists. —James Broughel, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024

But in doing so, the campaign has outsourced a core function to a coterie of untested groups that operate independently. —Brian Slodysko, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2024

There, Cohn will send over one of his boy toys to invite Donald to dine with him at his table with his coterie of gangster clients. —Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "group of persons joined by a common interest," earlier, "group of peasants owing labor service or rent to a lord," going back to Middle French (Picard) "tenure of a free peasant," from cotier "peasant on a smallholding, cottar" + -erie -ery

First Known Use

1738, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

coterie

noun

co·​te·​rie ˈkōt-ə-(ˌ)rē 

ˌkōt-ə-ˈrē

: a small close group of people with a shared interest