n. & v.
n. 1 literary a conversation; talk. b a dissertation or treatise on an academic subject. c a lecture or sermon. 2 Linguistics a connected series of utterances; a text.
v. 1 intr. talk; converse. 2 intr. (usu. foll. by of, on, upon) speak or write learnedly or at length (on a subject). 3 tr. archaic give forth (music etc.).
[ ME f. L discursus (as DIS-, COURSE): (v.) partly after F discourir ]