Discourse

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: dis=course

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Discourse, 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.).

Etymology

ME f. L discursus (as DIS-, COURSE): (v.) partly after F discourir

THESAURUS

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

ROGET THESAURUS

Discourse

Speech

VB speak of, say, utter, pronounce, deliver, give utterance to, utter forth, pour forth, breathe, let fall, come out with, rap out, blurt out have on one's lips, have at the end of one's tongue, have at the tip of one's tongue, break silence, open one's lips, open one's mouth, lift one's voice, raise one's voice, give the tongue, wag the tongue, talk, outspeak, put in a word or two, hold forth, make a speech, deliver a speech, speechify, harangue, declaim, stump, flourish, recite, lecture, sermonize, discourse, be on one's legs, have one's say, say one's say, spout, rant, rave, vent one's fury, vent one's rage, expatiate, speak one's mind, go on the stump, take the stump, soliloquize, tell, speak to, talk together, be eloquent, have a tongue in one's head, have the gift of the gab, pass one's lips, escape one's lips, fall from the lips, fall from the mouth.

Conversation

N conversation, interlocution, collocution, colloquy, converse, confabulation, talk, discourse, verbal intercourse, oral communication, commerce, dialogue, duologue, trialogue, causerie, chat, chitchat, small talk, table talk, teatable talk, town talk, village talk, idle talk, tattle, gossip, tittle-tattle, babble, babblement, tripotage, cackle, prittle-prattle, cancan, on dit, talk of the town, talk of the village, conference, parley, interview, audience, pourparler, tete-a-tete, reception, conversazione, congress, powwow, hall of audience, durbar, palaver, debate, logomachy, war of words, gossip, tattler, Paul Pry, tabby, chatterer, interlocutor, conversationist, dialogist, the feast of reason and the flow of soul, mollia tempora fandi, conversing, interlocutory, conversational, conversable, discursive, discoursive, chatty, colloquial, with thee conversing I forget all time.

Dissertation

N dissertation, treatise, essay, thesis, theme, monograph, tract, tractate, tractation, discourse, memoir, disquisition, lecture, sermon, homily, pandect, excursus, commentary, review, critique, criticism, article, leader, leading article, editorial, running commentary, investigation, study, discussion, exposition, commentator, critic, essayist, pamphleteer, discursive, discoursive, disquisitionary, expository.

VB expound upon a subject, dissert upon a subject, descant upon a subject, write upon a subject, touch upon a subject, treat a subject, treat a subject thoroughly, treat of a subject, take up a subject, ventilate a subject, discuss a subject, deal with a subject, go into a subject, go into a subject at length, canvass a subject, handle a subject, do justice to a subject, hold forth, discourse, delve into.

Rite

N rite, ceremony, ritual, liturgy, ceremonial, ordinance, observance, function, duty, form, formulary, solemnity, sacrament, incantation, service, psalmody, ministration, preaching, preachment, predication, sermon, homily, lecture, discourse, pastoral, baptism, christening, chrism, circumcision, baptismal regeneration, font, confirmation, imposition of hands, laying on of hands, ordination, excommunication, Bar Mitzvah, Bas Mitzvah, Bris, Eucharist, Lord's supper, communion, the sacrament, the holy sacrament, celebration, high celebration, missa cantata, asperges, offertory, introit, consecration, consubstantiation, transubstantiation, real presence, elements, mass, high mass, low mass, dry mass, matrimony, burial, visitation of the sick, seven sacraments, impanation, subpanation, extreme unction, viaticum, invocation of saints, canonization, transfiguration, auricular confession, maceration, flagellation, sackcloth and ashes, penance, telling of beads, processional, thurification, incense, holy water, aspersion, relics, rosary, beads, reliquary, host, cross, rood, crucifix, pax, pyx, agnus Dei, censer, thurible, patera, eileton, Holy Grail, prayer machine, prayer wheel, Sangraal, urceus, ritualism, ceremonialism, sabbatism, sabbatarianism, ritualist, sabbatarian, holyday, feast, fast, Sabbath, Pentecost, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Passion week, Holy week, Easter, Easter Sunday, Whitsuntide, agape, Ascension Day, Candlemas, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Holy Thursday, Lammas, Martinmas, Michaelmas, All SAint's DAy, All Souls' Day, Ramadan, Ramazan, Bairam Passover, Shabuoth, Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement, Rosh Hashana, New Year, Hanukkah, Chanukkah, Feast of Lights, Purim, Feast of lots, ritual, ritualistic, ceremonial, baptismal, eucharistical, paschal, what art thou, thou idol ceremony?.

Teaching

N teaching, instruction, edification, education, tuition, tutorage, tutelage, direction, guidance, opsimathy, qualification, preparation, training, schooling, discipline, excitation, drill, practice, book exercise, persuasion, proselytism, propagandism, propaganda, indoctrination, inculcation, inoculation, advise, explanation, lesson, lecture, sermon, apologue, parable, discourse, prolection, preachment, chalk talk, Chautauqua, exercise, task, curriculum, course, course of study, grammar, three R's, initiation, A, B, C, elementary education, primary education, secondary education, technical education, college education, collegiate education, military education, university education, liberal education, classical education, religious education, denominational education, moral education, secular education, propaedeutics, moral tuition, gymnastics, calisthenics, physical drill, physical education, sloyd, phonics, rote, rote memorization, brute memory, cooperative learning, Montessori method, ungraded classes, test, examination, exam, final exam, mid-term exam grade, score, marks, A, B, C, D, E, F, gentleman's C, pass, fail, incomplete, homework, take-home lesson, exercise for the student, theme, project, teaching, taught, educational, scholastic, academic, doctrinal, disciplinal, instructive, instructional, didactic, propaedeutic, propaedeutical, the schoolmaster abroad, a bovi majori disscit arare minor, adeo in teneris consuecere multum est, docendo discimus, quaenocent docent, qui docet discit, sermons in stones and good in everything.