excurse

English

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General American):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)s

Etymology 1

Probably partly from Classical Latin excurs-, past participial stem of excurrō, and partly from the noun.[1]

Verb

excurse (third-person singular simple present excurses, present participle excursing, simple past and past participle excursed)

  1. (intransitive, now chiefly archaic and somewhat rare) To make a journey, especially an excursion; to travel.
    Synonym: sally
    • 1769, [John Hall-Stevenson], “The Tilt of Arms. Paris and London.”, in Yorick’s Sentimental Journey, Continued. […], volume III, London: […] S. Bladon, […], →OCLC, pages 65–66:
      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?
    • 2015 April 8, Dina Mishev, “Facial refreshes skin after winter outdoors”, in Jackson Hole News&Guide‎[1], Jackson, Wyo.: Teton Media Works, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 9 October 2025, “Stepping Out” section, page 4:
      Let’s all help our bodies get over what we did to them this winter by taking an excursion to Grace Spa. Or pick the spa of your choice. But it was Grace Spa that I excursed to and that I'm writing about firsthand.
    • 2017, Annie Gray, The Greedy Queen: Eating with Victoria, →ISBN, page 142:
      There was a notable lack of security, ostensibly because the place was so isolated, although it seems that journalists still thronged about the borders, leaping from beds of nettles to catch a glimpse of the royal party of excursing.
  2. (intransitive, now rare) To digress; to turn aside from the main subject of attention.
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To travel or pass through.

Etymology 2

From Classical Latin excursus.[2] Doublet of excursus. In the “excursus” sense, some later examples in plural may show errors for excursuses.[2]

Alternative forms

Noun

excurse (plural excurses)

  1. Synonym of excursus.
    • 1859, James B[arr] Walker, “Introductory. The Present Position and Bearings of the Argument Stated.”, in Sacred Philosophy. God Revealed in the Process of Creation, and by the Manifestation of Jesus Christ; […], Boston, Mass.: Gould and Lincoln, […]; New York, N.Y.: Sheldon, Lamport & Blakeman, […], →OCLC, pages 24–25:
      By the labors of the Bridgewater writers, the argument has been cleared of many extraneous and unnecessary excurses.
    • 1894, M[oses] Gaster, “E[rnst] Kuhn. Barlaam und Joasaph. Eine bibliographisch-literargeschichtliche studie. […] (A bibliographical and literary study about the Legend of Barlaam and Joasaph.)”, in The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland […] , London: […] [T]he Society, […], →ISSN, →OCLC, page 403:
      Prof. Kuhn shows further that the original version seems to have been better preserved in the Arabic text, at least so far as the end of the tale is concerned. In two Excurses, pp. 40–45 and 45–50, he examines the Hebrew version of [Abraham ben Samuel ha-Levi] Ibn Hisdai (c. 1250) and the Greek; […]
    • 1959, A[braham] Arthur Schiller, “Senatus Consulta in the Principate”, in Tulane Law Review, volume 33, New Orleans, La.: Tulane Law Review Association, →ISSN, →OCLC, footnote 71, page 500; republished in An American Experience in Roman law: Writings from Publications in the United States, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1971, →OCLC, page 170:
      Actually, the passage occurs in an excurse in the edictal commentary, the exact meaning of which is unknown; […]
    • 2013 November 29, Geoffrey Rowell, “John Henry [Newman]’s relations”, in Church Times‎[2], London, →ISSN, →OCLC, Christmas book supplement, page xi, column 5:
      Sometimes, there are overlong excurses in drawing out parallels with other Victorians.
  2. (obsolete) An act of moving or rushing forward or out; an incursion by troops.
    • 1563 March 30 (Gregorian calendar), Alexander Pope [i.e., Pope Alexander III], “Alexander Pope, to Thomas [Becket] Archbishop of Canterbury”, in John Foxe, Actes and Monuments of These Latter and Perillous Dayes, […], London: […] Iohn Day, […], →OCLC, book I, page 52 [71], column 2:
      Further thys I bꝛotherlye require you to repair vnto the Churche of Cauntoꝛburye: And reteinynge but a few clarkes aboute you ſuche onlye as ſerue your neceſſitye, make no excurſes oute as litle as you can in that countrye.
      [original: 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.]
    • 1587 January, Giraldus Cambrensis [i.e., Gerald of Wales], translated by Iohn Hooker, “[The Irish Historie […]] The Besieging and Taking of the Citie of Dublin”, in Raphael Holinshed, The Second Volume of Chronicles: Conteining the Description, Conquest, Inhabitation, and Troublesome Estate of Ireland; […], 2nd edition, volume II, London: […] [Henry Denham] […] at the expenses of Iohn Harison, George Bishop, Rafe Newberie, Henrie Denham, and Thomas Woodcocke, →OCLC, page 15, column 1, lines 35–39:
      But foꝛſomuch as now not caring foꝛ thy oth, noꝛ regarding the ſafetie of thy hoſtages, thou haſt ſo fondlie ⁊ lewdlie paſſed thy bounds: I am to require thée, that thou doo retire and withdꝛaw theſe excurſes of ſtrangers; […]
    • 1654, Walter Charleton, “The Reason of the Frequent Vibrations, or Diadroms of Lutestrings, & Other Tractile Bodies; […]”, in Physiologia Epicuro-Gassendo-Charltoniana: or A Fabrick of Science Natural, upon the Hypothesis of Atoms, […], 1st part, London: […] Tho[mas] Newcomb, for Thomas Heath, […], →OCLC, book III, chapter XIV (Softness, Hardness, Flexility, Tractility, Ductility, &c.), section II, page 334:
      As a Twigg, after inflexion, doth return beyond the middle, or line of directneſs, and goes and comes frequently, till it hath overcome the firſt impreſſed motion, and recovered its natural ſite becauſe after the firſt Reflexion is made, a ſecond ſucceeds, for the ſame reaſon, as the firſt, a third for the ſame reason as the ſecond, and ſo a fourth, fifth, &c. ſucceſſively: So alſo, is it neceſſary, that many Vibrations, or Excurſes and Recurſes be alternately made, by a Chord diſtended and percuſſed; becauſe the ſame cauſe remains to the ſecond, third, fourth, &c. which was to the firſt.

References

  1. ^ “excurse, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 “excurse, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Anagrams

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