discourse
To engage in discussion or conversationTo engage in discussion or conversation; to converse.
Recorded US: Dvortygirl, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Translations
2 languagesBy meaning 3
Meaning
5 senses(intransitive)To engage in discussion or conversation; to converse.
reden, diskutieren
carry on a conversation
(intransitive)To write or speak formally and at length.
eine Rede f halten, dozieren, vortragen
talk at length and formally about a topic
To exercise reason; to employ the mind in judging and inferring; to reason.
More meanings 2
(obsolete, transitive)To debate.
debattieren
(obsolete, transitive)To produce or emit (musical sounds).
Origin
From Middle English discours, borrowed from Middle French discours (“conversation, speech”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.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
discourses, discoursing, discoursed, discoursedregular · Lesson
| Base form | discourse · to discourse |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | discourses |
| Present participle | discoursing |
| Past simple | discoursed |
| Past participle | discoursed |
Tenses
discourse · discoursed · will discourse · have discoursedPoint at a form to see it in a sentence.Tap a form to see it in a sentence.
Synonyms
16 synonyms- to consider or examine in speech or writing:talk aboutdiscuss
- carry on a conversation:converse
- talk at length and formally about a topic:hold forthdissertate
Word family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.