/ ɪkˈskɜːʃn; NAmE ɪkˈskɜːrʒn/ noun
1.
a short journey made for pleasure, especially one that has been organized for a group of people :
They've gone on an excursion to York.
➡ note at trip
2.
excursion into sth ( formal ) a short period of trying a new or different activity :
After a brief excursion into drama, he concentrated on his main interest, which was poetry.
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent. (in the sense act of running out , also sortie in the phrase alarums and excursions : from Latin excursio(n-) , from the verb excurrere run out, from ex- out + currere to run.