noun , verb
■ noun / ˈdɪskɔːs; NAmE -kɔːrs/
1.
[ C , U ] ( formal ) a long and serious treatment or discussion of a subject in speech or writing :
a discourse on issues of gender and sexuality
He was hoping for some lively political discourse at the meeting.
2.
[ U ] ( linguistics ) the use of language in speech and writing in order to produce meaning; language that is studied, usually in order to see how the different parts of a text are connected :
spoken / written discourse
discourse analysis
■ verb
/ dɪsˈkɔːs; NAmE -ˈkɔːrs/
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PHRASAL VERBS
- discourse on / upon sth
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (denoting the process of reasoning): from Old French discours , from Latin discursus running to and fro (in medieval Latin argument), from the verb discurrere , from dis- away + currere to run; the verb influenced by French discourir .