Brewer's: Questa Cortesissima

(Italian). Most courteous one; a love term used by Dante to Beatrice.

“I set myself to think of that most courteous one (questa cortesissima, and thinking of her there fell upon me a sweet sleep” —Mrs. Oliphant: Makers of Florence (Dante's description).

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language