Dis‐course″ (?), n. [L. discursus a running to and fro, discourse, fr. discurrere, discursum, to run to and fro, to discourse; dis- + currere to run: cf. F. discours. See Course.] 1. The power of the mind to reason or infer by running, as it were, from one fact or reason to another, and deriving a conclusion; an exercise or act of this power; reasoning; range of reasoning faculty.
Difficult, strange, and harsh to the discourses of natural reason. South.
Sure he that made us with such large discourse,
Looking before and after, gave us not
That capability and godlike reason
To fust in us unused. Shak.
2. Conversation; talk.
In their discourses after supper. Shak.
Filling the head with variety of thoughts, and the mouth with copious discourse. Locke.
3. The art and manner of speaking and conversing.
Of excellent breeding, admirable discourse. Shak.
4. Consecutive speech, either written or unwritten, on a given line of thought; speech; treatise; dissertation; sermon, etc.; as, the preacher gave us a long discourse on duty.
5. Dealing; transaction.
Good Captain Bessus, tell us the discourse
Betwixt Tigranes and our king, and how
We got the victory. Beau. & Fl.