English
course
Pronunciation
  • (horse-hoarse)
  • (non-horse-hoarse)
    • (rhotic) enPR: kōrs, IPA: /koːɹs/
    • (non-rhotic) IPA: /koəs/
  • (Tasmania) IPA: /kɜːs/
  • (obsolete) IPA: /kuːɹs/, /kʊɹs/
Etymology 1

From Middle English cours, from Old French cours, from Latin cursus, from currō ("run"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers-.

Noun

course (plural courses)

  1. A sequence of events.
    The normal course of events seems to be just one damned thing after another.
    1. A normal or customary sequence.
      • c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene i]:
        The course of true love never did run smooth.
      • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC ↗:
        Day and night, / Seedtime and harvest, heat and hoary frost, / Shall hold their course.
    2. A programme, a chosen manner of proceeding.
    3. Any ordered process or sequence of steps.
    4. A learning programme, whether a single class or (UK) a major area of study.
      I need to take a French course.
      • 1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond‎:
        During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant […]
    5. (especially in medicine) A treatment plan.
      • 1932, Agatha Christie, The Thirteen Problems:
        Miss Clark, alarmed at her increasing stoutness, was doing a course of what is popularly known as banting.
    6. A stage of a meal.
      We offer seafood as the first course.
    7. The succession of one to another in office or duty; order; turn.
      • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, 2 Chronicles 8:14 ↗:
        He appointed […] the courses of the priests.
  2. A path that something or someone moves along.
    His illness ran its course.
    1. The itinerary of a race.
      The cross-country course passes the canal.
    2. A racecourse.
    3. The path taken by a flow of water; a watercourse.
    4. (sports) The trajectory of a ball, frisbee etc.
    5. (golf) A golf course.
    6. (nautical) The direction of movement of a vessel at any given moment.
      The ship changed its course 15 degrees towards south.
    7. (navigation) The intended passage of voyage, such as a boat, ship, airplane, spaceship, etc.
      A course was plotted to traverse the ocean.
    8. (India, historical) The drive usually frequented by Europeans at an Indian station.
  3. (nautical) The lowest square sail in a fully rigged mast, often named according to the mast.
    Main course and mainsail are the same thing in a sailing ship.
  4. (in the plural, courses, obsolete, euphemistic) Menses.
  5. A row or file of objects.
    1. (masonry) A row of bricks or blocks.
      On a building that size, two crews could only lay two courses in a day.
    2. (roofing) A row of material that forms the roofing, waterproofing or flashing system.
    3. (textiles) In weft knitting, a single row of loops connecting the loops of the preceding and following rows.
  6. (music) One or more strings on some musical instruments (such as the guitar, lute or vihuela): if multiple, then closely spaced, tuned in unison or octaves and intended to be played together.
Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Verb

course (courses, present participle coursing; simple past and past participle coursed)

  1. To run or flow (especially of liquids and more particularly blood).
    The oil coursed through the engine.
    Blood pumped around the human body courses throughout all its veins and arteries.
    • 2001, Salman Rushdie, Fury: A Novel, London: Jonathan Cape, →ISBN, page 5 ↗:
      Sudden anger rose in him. “What I’m looking for,” he barked, “is to be left in peace.” His voice trembled with a rage far bigger than her intrusion merited, the rage which shocked him whenever it coursed through his nervous system, like a flood.
  2. (transitive) To run through or over.
  3. (transitive) To pursue by tracking or estimating the course taken by one's prey; to follow or chase after.
    • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene vi]:
      We coursed him at the heels.
  4. (transitive) To cause to chase after or pursue game.
    to course greyhounds after deer
Translations Translations Adverb

course (not comparable)

  1. (colloquial) Ellipsis of of course
    • 1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “Tell a Green Man Something”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 3 (1928–1935: The Big Apple), page 209 ↗:
      Course, my home wasn't exactly in Harlem […]


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