discourse
Meanings
noun
- Verbal exchange, conversation.
- Expression in words, either speech or writing.
- A conversation.
- A formal lengthy exposition of some subject, either spoken or written.
- 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.
verb
- 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).
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
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.
Synonyms
Related words
Derived words
Translations
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.