Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Discourse?

\Dis*course"\, n. [L. discursus a running to and fro, discourse, fr. discurrere, discursum, to run to and fro, to discourse; dis- + currere to run: cf. F. discours. See {Course}.] 1. The power of the mind to reason or infer by running, as it were, from one fact or reason to another, and deriving a conclusion; an exercise or act of this power; reasoning; range of reasoning faculty. [Obs.] Difficult, strange, and harsh to the discourses of natural reason. --South. Sure he that made us with such large discourse, Looking before and after, gave us not That capability and godlike reason To fust in us unused. --Shak. 2. Conversation; talk. In their discourses after supper. --Shak. Filling the head with variety of thoughts, and the mouth with copious discourse. --Locke. 3. The art and manner of speaking and conversing. Of excellent breeding, admirable discourse. --Shak. 4. Consecutive speech, either written or unwritten, on a given line of thought; speech; treatise; dissertation; sermon, etc.; as, the preacher gave us a long discourse on duty. 5. Dealing; transaction. [Obs.] Good Captain Bessus, tell us the discourse Betwixt Tigranes and our king, and how We got the victory. --Beau. & Fl.
\Dis*course"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Discoursed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Discoursing}.] 1. To exercise reason; to employ the mind in judging and inferring; to reason. [Obs.] ``Have sense or can discourse.'' --Dryden. 2. To express one's self in oral discourse; to expose one's views; to talk in a continuous or formal manner; to hold forth; to speak; to converse. Bid me discourse, I will enchant thine ear. --Shak. 3. To relate something; to tell. --Shak. 4. To treat of something in writing and formally.
\Dis*course"\, v. t. 1. To treat of; to expose or set forth in language. [Obs.] The life of William Tyndale . . . is sufficiently and at large discoursed in the book. --Foxe. 2. To utter or give forth; to speak. It will discourse most eloquent music. --Shak. 3. To talk to; to confer with. [Obs.] I have spoken to my brother, who is the patron, to discourse the minister about it. --Evelyn.