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D/Discourse
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Discourse

Written or spoken communication; a formal and extended discussion of a topic.

noun
💡

Imagine This

The professors disclosed information about their research findings and exchange ideas with their students during lecture.

🔊

Sounds Like

DIS-kors

👀

Looks Like

disclosure

📝

Remember This

Discourse refers to the broader, ongoing conversation within a field or community, not a single speech. It encompasses the language, arguments, and debates surrounding a topic.

📚

Other Forms

discourseverb
discursiveadjective
discursivelyadverb
🔗

Connect With

dialogue, discussion, debate, conversation, rhetoric, treatise

📌

Note

Discourse differs from disclosure (revealing information) and from discursive (related to argument or discussion). In formal writing, it often denotes a structured or sustained conversation rather than a one-off remark.

🧠

Study Deeper

Examples
  • Scholars engaged in a lively discourse on the ethics of artificial intelligence.
  • The professor's discourse on economic theory clarified key concepts for the students.
Synonyms
conversationdialoguediscussiondebatetreatise
Antonyms
silencesecrecy
Etymology

From Latin discursus 'a running to and fro', from discurrere 'to run about'; via Old French discours and Middle English discourse.

Mnemonic

Discourse = discuss + course: a course of discussion; remember that discourse is the running conversation that covers a topic.