discourse.
Verbal exchange, conversation.
Meaning & usage
Verbal exchange, conversation.
Expression in words, either speech or writing.
A conversation.
A formal lengthy exposition of some subject, either spoken or written.
The preacher gave us a long discourse on duty.
Any rational expression, reason.
An institutionalized way of thinking, a social boundary defining what can be said about a specific topic (after Michel Foucault).
Lengthy, often heated debate over controversial subject matter, particularly within fandom and activist spaces. Sometimes rendered as a proper noun with the definite article (i.e. "the Discourse").
Dealing; transaction.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English discours, borrowed from Middle French discours (“conversation, speech”), from Latin discursus (“the act of running about”), from Latin discurrō (“run about”), from dis- (“apart”) + currō (“run”). Spelling modified by influence of Middle French cours (“course”). Doublet of discursus.
To engage in discussion or conversation; to converse.
To write or speak formally and at length.
To debate.
To exercise reason; to employ the mind in judging and inferring; to reason.
To produce or emit (musical sounds).
Where this word comes from
From Middle English discours, borrowed from Middle French discours (“conversation, speech”), from Latin discursus (“the act of running about”), from Latin discurrō (“run about”), from dis- (“apart”) + currō (“run”). Spelling modified by influence of Middle French cours (“course”). Doublet of discursus.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.