Excurse

noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Synonym of excursus.

    "By the labors of the Bridgewater writers, the argument has been cleared of many extraneous and unnecessary excurses."

  2. 2
    An act of moving or rushing forward or out; an incursion by troops. obsolete

    "Ad hæc fratetnitati^([sic]) tuæ præcipiendo modo quo te in Cantuarienſem Eccleſiam recipias, & paucis quidem clericis retêtis admodū neceſſariis, ad minus quam poteris per terram illam diſcurras."

Verb
  1. 1
    To make a journey, especially an excursion; to travel. archaic, intransitive, rare

    "In which of the nine hundred ſtreets—I mean lanes—of this capital of the world—for who can diſpute a Pariſian’s word, who never has excurſed beyond the gates?"

  2. 2
    To digress; to turn aside from the main subject of attention. archaic, intransitive

    "But how I excurſe!—Yet thou uſedſt to ſay, thou likedſt my excurſions. If thou doſt, thou’lt have enow of them: For I never had a ſubject I ſo much adored; […]"

  3. 3
    To travel or pass through. obsolete, transitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

Probably partly from Classical Latin excurs-, past participial stem of excurrō, and partly from the noun.

Etymology 2

From Classical Latin excursus. Doublet of excursus. In the “excursus” sense, some later examples in plural may show errors for excursuses.

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