discourse en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈdɪs.koː(ɹ)s/ (mainly) without the horse–hoarse merger
- /ˈdɪs.kɔːs/ (Received-Pronunciation, mainly)
- /ˈdɪs.kɔːɹs/ (General-American, mainly)
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.
Meanings
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(archaic, uncountable) Verbal exchange, conversation.
Two or three of the gentlemen sat near him, and I caught at times scraps of their conversation across the room. At first I could not make much sense of what I heard; for the discourse of Louisa Eshton and Mary Ingram, who sat nearer to me, confused the fragmentary sentences that reached me at intervals.
1847 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], chapter XVIII, in Jane Eyre. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], →OCLC:UUho when he ſhal embrace you in his arms UUil tell how many thouſand men he ſlew. And when you looke for amorous diſcourſe, Will rattle foorth his facts of war and blood: […]
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene ii:
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(uncountable) Expression in words, either speech or writing.
Drawings and pictures are more than mere ornaments in scientific discourse. Blackboard sketches, geological maps, diagrams of molecular structure, astronomical photographs, MRI images, the many varieties of statistical charts and graphs: These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story.
2012 March 14, Brian Hayes, “Pixels or Perish”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 19 Feb 2013, page 106:
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(countable) A conversation.
It ſeems, the Minds of theſe People are ſo taken up with intenſe Speculations, that they neither can ſpeak, nor attend to the Diſcourſes of others, without being rouzed by ſome external Taction upon the Organs of Speech and Hearing; for which reaſon, thoſe Perſons who are able to afford it always keep a Flapper (the Original is Climenole) in their Family, as one of their Domeſticks, nor ever walk abroad or make Viſits without him.
1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Humours and Dispositions of the Laputians Described. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part III (A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdribb, Luggnagg, and Japan), pages 16–17:
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(countable) A formal lengthy exposition of some subject, either spoken or written.
The preacher gave us a long discourse on duty.
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(countable) Any rational expression, reason.
difficult, strange, and harsh to the discourses of natural reason
1692, Robert South, A Discourse Concerning The General Resurrection On Acts xxiv. 15:Sure he that made us with such large discourse, / Looking before and after, gave us not / That capability and godlike reason / To rust in us unused.
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv]:
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(countable) An institutionalized way of thinking, a social boundary defining what can be said about a specific topic (after Michel Foucault).
Furthermore, it should be recalled from the previous chapter that criminological discourse of the 1930s deemed every woman a potential criminal, implicitly including the domestic woman.
2007, Christine L. Marran, Poison Woman: Figuring Female Transgression in Modern Japanese Culture, page 137:Brown University's Friday Night Jews (FNJ) [...] began as an informal Shabbat dinner gathering in 2016, as a space for Jewish students who were feeling fed up with Hillel’s limitations regarding Israel/Palestine discourse, after the Brown/RISD Hillel rescinded sponsorship of a film screening by the Israeli nonprofit Zochrot, an organization that educates Jewish Israelis about the Nakba.
2019 July 3, Jess Schwalb, “Red Line Rebellion”, in Jewish Currents:But equally important to the emergence of uniquely African-American queer discourses is the refusal of African-American movements for liberation to address adequately issues of sexual orientation and gender identity.
2008, Jane Anna Gordon, Lewis Gordon, A Companion to African-American Studies, page 308:
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(Internet, uncountable) 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").
...needless to say, the small-scale nature of these controversies provides a window into who the true 'snowflakes' are when it comes to Doctor Who discourse.
2024 August 31, “10 Dumbest Doctor Who Controversies”, in WhatCulture (news), retrieved 17 Jun 2025:We all know — or know now — the Internet meme known as “The Discourse,” which became popular on the social media site Tumblr in April of last year.
2016 April 4, “What “The Discourse” Has to Do with Internet Discomfort”, in Medium (blog), retrieved 17 Jun 2025:Nobody will ever know if Gene Roddenberry would hate DS9 had he lived to see it, but the controversy was patient zero for the arguments that define modern Star Trek discourse.
2024 August 7, “Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry’s Vision Explained”, in Screen Rant (news), retrieved 17 Jun 2025:
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(countable, obsolete, uncountable) Dealing; transaction.
Good Captain Bessus, tell us the discourse / Betwixt Tigranes and our king, and how / We got the victory.
1612 January 5 (first performance, Gregorian calendar; published 1619), Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, “A King, and No King”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1679, →OCLC, Act II, scene i:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| discourses | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| discours | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic |
Deriveds
discourseless · discourse marker · discoursive · discourse analyst · macrodiscourse · microdiscourse · universe of discourse · domain of discourse · window of discourse · discoursal · indirect discourse · disk horse · sandwich discourse · cyberdiscourse · direct discourse · mode of discourse · discourse analysis · metadiscourse · counterdiscourse · free indirect discourse
Relateds
Synonyms
communication (expression in words) · sermon (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · debate (verbal exchange) · treatise (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · study (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · conversation (verbal exchange) · dissertation (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · discussion (verbal exchange) · Overton window (views of a society) · lecture (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · ratiocination (rational expression) · expression (expression in words) · talk (verbal exchange) · norm (views of a society)
Translations (150)
es platicada (verbal exchange or conversation) · fi keskustelu (verbal exchange or conversation) · fi järkeily (rational expression, reason) · fo samrøða (verbal exchange or conversation) · ru разгово́р (verbal exchange or conversation) · da debat (verbal exchange or conversation) · ru ди́скурс (in social sciences) · da afhandling (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · nl betoog (expression in (spoken or written) words) · es plática (verbal exchange or conversation) · af diskoers (in social sciences) · id diskursus (rational expression, reason) · ja デイスクー (in social sciences) · ar خِطَاب (in social sciences) · es proseo (verbal exchange or conversation) · bg лекция (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · fi ajatustenvaihto (verbal exchange or conversation) · id bahasan (expression in (spoken or written) words) · fi ilmaus (expression in (spoken or written) words) · sv diskurs (expression in (spoken or written) words) · ro conversație (verbal exchange or conversation) · bg разговор (verbal exchange or conversation) · pt discussão (verbal exchange or conversation) · id diskursus (in social sciences) · gl discusión (verbal exchange or conversation) · cmn 論文 /论文 (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · ru речь (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · cmn 會話 /会话 (verbal exchange or conversation) · ru тракта́т (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · he שִׂיחַ (in social sciences) · nl gedachtewisseling (verbal exchange or conversation) · nl vertoog (in social sciences) · ru бесе́да (verbal exchange or conversation) · ko 논설 (rational expression, reason) · af diskoers (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · ru ле́кция (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · ru ди́скурс (expression in (spoken or written) words) · de Diskurs (expression in (spoken or written) words) · nl verhandeling (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · es discurso (expression in (spoken or written) words) · cmn 談話 /谈话 (verbal exchange or conversation) · nl discussie (expression in (spoken or written) words) · nl discours (in social sciences) · it discussione (verbal exchange or conversation) · gl discurso (verbal exchange or conversation) · da foredrag (expression in (spoken or written) words) · fa دیسکورس (in social sciences) · fi tutkielma (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · sv diskurs (in social sciences) · tr söz (expression in (spoken or written) words) · ru разу́мность (rational expression, reason) · hy խոսույթ (in social sciences) · da udtryksform (rational expression, reason) · es conversación (verbal exchange or conversation) · eo diskurso (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · el ομιλία (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · id diskursus (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · cs rozprava (verbal exchange or conversation) · ja 会談 (verbal exchange or conversation) · az diskurs (in social sciences) · cmn 談話 /谈话 (in social sciences) · el ομιλία (expression in (spoken or written) words) · gl discurso (in social sciences) · de Debatte (verbal exchange or conversation) · nl rede (rational expression, reason) · nl discours (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · cs přednáška (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · de Gespräch (verbal exchange or conversation) · cs projev (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · nl conversatie (expression in (spoken or written) words) · fi diskurssi (verbal exchange or conversation) · es discurso (verbal exchange or conversation) · nl communicatie (expression in (spoken or written) words) · ru диску́рс (verbal exchange or conversation) · de Diskurs (in social sciences) · fo ritgerð (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · nl uiting (expression in (spoken or written) words) · ru докла́д (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · fr discours (expression in (spoken or written) words) · fo samskifti (expression in (spoken or written) words) · tr mubahase (expression in (spoken or written) words) · id wacana (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · da samtale (verbal exchange or conversation) · fr conversation (verbal exchange or conversation) · pt discurso (in social sciences) · he שִׂיחַ (verbal exchange or conversation) · nl gesprek (verbal exchange or conversation) · cs řeč (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · el διάλεξη (in social sciences) · fi diskurssi (in social sciences) · nl conversatie (verbal exchange or conversation) · it discorso (expression in (spoken or written) words) · ro discurs (expression in (spoken or written) words) · mi whakatakotoranga (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · th วาทกรรม (in social sciences) · de Äußerung (rational expression, reason) · da prædiken (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · pt discurso (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · ro discurs (verbal exchange or conversation) · nl betoog (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · tr tartışma (verbal exchange or conversation) · es coloquio (verbal exchange or conversation) · de Abhandlung (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · af gesprek (verbal exchange or conversation) · id diskursus (expression in (spoken or written) words) · da prædiken (expression in (spoken or written) words) · ru диску́рс (expression in (spoken or written) words) · cmn 交談 /交谈 (verbal exchange or conversation) · ja 論文 (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · af gesprek (expression in (spoken or written) words) · pl dyskurs (in social sciences) · fo orðaskifti (verbal exchange or conversation) · ja 対話 (verbal exchange or conversation) · nb diskurs (verbal exchange or conversation) · de Diskurs (verbal exchange or conversation) · gl discurso (expression in (spoken or written) words) · da diskurs (expression in (spoken or written) words) · nl gesprek (expression in (spoken or written) words) · pl dyskurs (expression in (spoken or written) words) · fr discours (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · sv diskurs (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · da foredrag (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · ru ди́скурс (verbal exchange or conversation) · sv diskurs (verbal exchange or conversation) · el συνομιλία (verbal exchange or conversation) · ru рациона́льность (rational expression, reason) · de Folgerung (rational expression, reason) · ru диску́рс (in social sciences) · ja 会話 (verbal exchange or conversation) · da afhandling (expression in (spoken or written) words) · es discurso (in social sciences) · gl discurso (rational expression, reason) · pt discurso (expression in (spoken or written) words) · ka დისკურსი (expression in (spoken or written) words) · nn diskurs (verbal exchange or conversation) · pl dyskurs (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · fo fyrilestur (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · fa گفتمان (in social sciences) · ro discurs (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · tr mübahase (verbal exchange or conversation) · fr discours (verbal exchange or conversation) · de Diskurs (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · ro discurs (in social sciences) · gl discurso (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · pl konwersacja (verbal exchange or conversation) · es discurso (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · bg доклад (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · cmn 話語 /话语 (expression in (spoken or written) words) · ota قال (formal lengthy exposition of some subject) · ca discurs (expression in (spoken or written) words)