English
discourse
Discourse comes from Middle French discours ‘conversation, speech’, from Latin discursus ‘the act of running about’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- ‘to run’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱers-‘to run’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱr̥s-é-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korzō‘to run’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcurrō‘run’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiscurrō‘run about’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiscursus‘the act of running about’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600discours‘conversation, speech’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500discours
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588discourse
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱers-‘to run’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱr̥s-é-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korzō‘to run’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcurrō‘run’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiscurrō‘run about’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiscursus‘the act of running about’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600discours‘conversation, speech’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500discours
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588discourse
Earliest quotation: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “UUho when he ſhal embrace you in his arms…”
The story
Spelling modified by influence of Middle French cours (‘course’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- ‘to run’
career, charge, carry, rush, carrier, cargo, hurry, carriage, occurrence, chariot, caricature, intercourse, carousel, corral, hurrah, recursive, cursory, recourse, carrack, 35 more
through Proto-Italic *korzō ‘to run’
corridor, concurrent, courier, recurrent, incursion, recursion, 20 more
through Latin currō ‘run’
current, occur, currency, curriculum, precursor, incur, concur, cursor, corsair, recur, hussar, concourse, courant, succour, 24 more
through Latin discursus ‘the act of running about’
Today it means
noun Verbal exchange, conversation.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- / discourse