Discourse

discourse
    n 1: extended verbal expression in speech or writing
    2: an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a
       church service) [syn: {sermon}, {discourse}, {preaching}]
    3: an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with
       some particular topic; "the book contains an excellent
       discussion of modal logic"; "his treatment of the race
       question is badly biased" [syn: {discussion}, {treatment},
       {discourse}]
    v 1: to consider or examine in speech or writing; "The author
         talks about the different aspects of this question"; "The
         class discussed Dante's `Inferno'" [syn: {discourse}, {talk
         about}, {discuss}]
    2: carry on a conversation [syn: {converse}, {discourse}]
    3: talk at length and formally about a topic; "The speaker
       dissertated about the social politics in 18th century
       England" [syn: {hold forth}, {discourse}, {dissertate}]
    

Discourse \Dis*course"\, v. t.
   1. To treat of; to expose or set forth in language. [Obs.]
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            The life of William Tyndale . . . is sufficiently
            and at large discoursed in the book.  --Foxe.
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   2. To utter or give forth; to speak.
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            It will discourse most eloquent music. --Shak.
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   3. To talk to; to confer with. [Obs.]
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            I have spoken to my brother, who is the patron, to
            discourse the minister about it.      --Evelyn.
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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.]
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            Difficult, strange, and harsh to the discourses of
            natural reason.                       --South.
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            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.
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   2. Conversation; talk.
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            In their discourses after supper.     --Shak.
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            Filling the head with variety of thoughts, and the
            mouth with copious discourse.         --Locke.
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   3. The art and manner of speaking and conversing.
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            Of excellent breeding, admirable discourse. --Shak.
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   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.
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   5. Dealing; transaction. [Obs.]
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            Good Captain Bessus, tell us the discourse
            Betwixt Tigranes and our king, and how
            We got the victory.                   --Beau. & Fl.
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Discourse \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.
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   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.
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            Bid me discourse, I will enchant thine ear. --Shak.
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   3. To relate something; to tell. --Shak.
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   4. To treat of something in writing and formally.
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221 Moby Thesaurus words for "discourse":
      accents, act, address, air, amplify, analyze, argue, article,
      assignment, bandy words, canvass, causerie, chalk talk, chatter,
      chew the fat, chew the rag, chin, colloque, colloquial discourse,
      colloquize, colloquy, comment, comment upon, commentate,
      commerce with, commune with, communicate, communicate with,
      communication, communion, confab, confabulate, consider,
      controvert, conversation, converse, converse with, conversing,
      criticize, deal with, debate, deduction, deductive reasoning,
      deliberate, deliberate upon, deliver an address, demonstration,
      descant, develop, dilate, discourse about, discourse of reason,
      discourse with, discursive reason, discuss, discussion, dispute,
      disquisition, dissert, dissertate, dissertation, do, elaborate,
      elocution, enact, enlarge, essay, etude, examination, examine,
      exchange, exchange views, excursus, exercise, expand, expatiate,
      explain, exposit, exposition, expound, feature, first approach,
      gab, give a talk, give-and-take, go into, handle, harangue,
      hold forth, homework, homily, impersonate, induction,
      inductive reasoning, inquire into, instruction, intercourse,
      interlocution, introductory study, investigate, knock around,
      language, lecture, lecture-demonstration, lesson, logical thought,
      lucubration, memoir, monograph, moral, moral lesson, morality,
      moralization, moralize, morceau, note, object lesson,
      oral communication, orate, outline, palaver, pandect, paper,
      paragraph, parole, pass under review, perform, perorate, personate,
      philosophy, piece, platform, play, playact, point a moral, prattle,
      preach, preachification, preaching, preachment, prelection,
      preliminary study, prolegomenon, proof, rap, rapping,
      ratiocination, rationalism, rationality, rationalization,
      rationalizing, read a lesson, reason, reason about,
      reason the point, reasonableness, reasoning, recital, recitation,
      religious discourse, remark, remark upon, research paper, review,
      rhetoric, screed, sermon, sermonette, sermonize, set task,
      shoot the breeze, sift, sketch, skull session, soapbox, sophistry,
      speak, speak with, speaking, special article, specious reasoning,
      speech, speechify, study, stump, survey, sweet reason,
      take counsel with, take the floor, take the stump, take up, talk,
      talk about, talk of, talk over, talk together, talking, task,
      teaching, term paper, theme, thesis, thresh out, touch upon, tract,
      tractate, travelogue, treat, treat of, treatise, treatment,
      utterance, ventilate, verbal intercourse, verbalization,
      visit with, voice, words, write up, yakkety-yak, yakking