Coterie

Also 8 -ery, cotterie. [a. F. coterie ‘a company of people who live in familiarity, or who cabal in a common interest’ (Littré), orig. ‘a certain number of peasants united together to hold land from a lord’; ‘companie, societie, association of countrey people’ (Cotgr.), f. cotier = med.L. cotārius, coterius cottar, tenant of a cota or cot. Cf. F. cotterie ‘a base, ignoble, and seruile tenure, or tenement, not held in fee, and yeelding only rent, or if more, but cens or surcens at most’ (Cotgr.).

  By Walker and Smart stressed on the last syllable as French: the latter has the o short; whence the 18th c. cotterie, and its rhyming in Byron with lottery.]

  † 1.  An organized association of persons for political, social, or other purposes; a club. Obs.

1764.  Univ. Museum, Jan., 6. A numerous and formidable society of persons of distinction, property, abilities, and influence in the nation, is now forming, and a large house of a deceased nobleman is hired for their assemblies, which society is to be called The cotery of revolutionists, or of anti-ministerialists, from the French word coterie, vulgarly called a club in English.

1766.  D. Barrington, Observ. Statutes, 249, note. The word cotterie, of which so much has been said of late.

1774.  Foote, Cozeners, I. Wks. 1799, II. 146. My expences in … subscription-money to most of the clubs and coteries.

  2.  A circle of persons associated together and distinguished from ‘outsiders,’ a ‘set’: a. A select or exclusive circle in Society: the select ‘set’ who have the entrée to some house, as ‘the Holland House coterie.’

  ‘A friendly or fashionable association. It has of late years been considered as meaning a select party, or club, and sometimes of ladies only’ (Todd, 1818).

1738.  Common Sense, I. 345. Beware of Select Cotteries, where, without an Engagement, a Lady passes but for an odd Body.

1768.  Sterne, Sent. Journ. (1778), II. 164. I was lifted directly into Madame de V * * *’s Coterie.

1779.  Mad. D’Arblay, Diary, Oct. You recollect what Mrs. Thrale said of him, among the rest of the Tunbridge coterie, last season.

1821.  Byron, Juan, IV. cix. Fame is but a lottery Drawn by the blue-coat misses of a coterie.

1828.  J. W. Croker, in C. Papers (1884), I. xiii. 400. Lady Holland was saying yesterday to her assembled coterie.

1880.  ‘Vernon Lee,’ Stud. Italy, III. i. 68. A man … belonging to the most brilliant coteries of the day.

  b.  A ‘set’ associated by certain exclusive interests, pursuits or aims; a clique.

1827.  De Quincey, Murder, Wks. III. 12. Catiline, Clodius and some of that coterie.

1830.  Cunningham, Brit. Paint., I. v. 207. A certain coterie, of men, skilful in the mystery of good painting.

1838–9.  Hallam, Hist. Lit., IV. vii. IV. § 54. 329. Written for an exclusive coterie, not for the world.

1862.  Merivale, Rom. Emp. (1865), V. xlvi. 359. In vain had Tiberius chafed under the jeers of this licensed coterie.

1888.  W. D. Hamilton, Cal. State Papers, Domestic Ser. 1644, Pref. 10. This religious element … revived the bitter animosities of the old political parties, and caused the members [of Parliament] to group themselves into coteries.

  c.  A meeting or gathering of such a circle.

1805.  Moore, To Lady H——, iv. Each night they held a coterie.

1849.  E. E. Napier, Excurs. S. Africa, II. 347. We are so accustomed now to this style of fusillade, that all we do is to lie close, and continue our little coteries.

  d.  transf. and fig. Of animals, plants, etc.

1859.  Gillmore, Reptiles & Birds, 219. With the permission of the masters of the coterie they build their nests in the vacancies that occur in the squares.

1885.  H. O. Forbes, Naturalist’s Wand., 85. The genus Pajus is an exceedingly handsome and attractive coterie of orchids.

  3.  attrib. and Comb., as coterie-speech.

1891.  Pall Mall Gaz., 12 May, 3/1. A coterie-speech—not to say a jargon—current only on the highest heights of culture.

  Hence (chiefly nonce-wds.) Coterie v., to associate in a coterie. Coteriean a., of or pertaining to a coterie; sb. a member of a coterie. Coterieish a., savoring of a coterie. Coterieism, the spirit or practice of coteries.

1806.  Surr, Winter in Lond. (ed. 3), II. 156. If … I can do otherwise than coterie with Neville and the Beauchamps.

1778.  Learning at a Loss, I. 67.

1772.  Poetry, in Ann. Reg., 225. Ye Coterieans! who profess No business, but to dance and dress.

1841.  Tait’s Mag., VIII. 590. [She] received an immense quantity of praise from the English press, courteous, cordial, and coterieish.

1825.  New Monthly Mag., XIII. 584. This spirit of coterieism is so prevalent.

1862.  R. H. Patterson, Ess. Hist. & Art, 517. The polished coterieism of Moore.