Definition of courtship | Bee Dictionary of English

n a man's courting of a woman; seeking the affections of a woman (usually with the hope of marriage)
its was a brief and intense courtship

The courtship of Senator Olympia Snowe started in December with a phone call from Joe Biden .
So much for the courtship.
On national television, Charles and Diana engagingly discussed the most widely publicized 'secret' courtship in the history of the court.

Periodical cicadas put on enthralling show
Early in summer, woods in southeastern Pennsylvania are alive with bird songs. But one day at that time, every 17 years, new sounds are heard. A few trills weave among the trees, then more and more until the combined whining is overwhelming.The courtship pageantry of a brood of periodical cicadas is...
June 16, 2013 - Lancaster Online
In Frogs' Croaks, Volunteer Hears Nature's Pulse
Half an hour past sunset in rural western Hennepin County, Madeleine Linck strains her ears. She's listening, believe it or not, for the sounds of courtship...
June 15, 2013 - 5 Eyewitness News St. Paul
“Giving Up the Ghost” by Mary Logue
So far: Memories of courtship bring comfort. For our first anniversary Richard bought me one dozen roses. For our second, he bought two dozen. And so on.
June 14, 2013 - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

Barack Obama in BBC News
I think it's fair to say that had I not been a Stevie Wonder fan, Michelle might not have dated me, we might not have married,President Obama said. "The fact that we agreed on Stevie was part of the essence of our courtship."
Carol Mendelsohn in USA Today
CSI executive producer Carol Mendelsohn said it took "quite a courtship" to persuade Schreiber to fit the part of Michael Keppler, an East Coast investigator trying to make a new start in Las Vegas, into his schedule.
Mitch McConnell in Washington Post
The Senate isn't a factory. We don't push things down the line,McConnell said. "There is a saying about courtship: Shoot for two, end up with zero. So far, this would be a fitting epitaph for a Congress that has sought to do much but has...