courtship
n. the process of attracting a partner as part of sexual behavior, a period critical to reproductive success in many species. Animal courtship involves such activities as identifying and evaluating a potential mate, locating and defending appropriate sites for nests or dens, synchronizing the hormones involved in reproduction and engaging in other physiological preparations, and at times forming or strengthening pair bonds. Human courtship enables couples to develop mutual commitment, which has marriage as its goal, although it may take widely different forms in different cultures. For example, in some societies bodily contact between courting couples may be forbidden, whereas in others it may be accepted and even encouraged; or a man may be required in certain societies to obtain parents’ permission before asking a woman to marry him yet in others such a practice may be considered unnecessary or even impolite. See also mate
selection.