course

Etymology 1

From Middle English cours, from Old French cours, from Latin cursus (“course of a race”), from currō (“run”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run”). Doublet of cursus and cour.

noun

1. A sequence of events.
   1. A normal or customary sequence.
   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.
      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[…] 1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond
      Her course will be ‘Communication Studies with Theatre Studies’: God, how tedious, how pointless. August 21 1992, Edwina Currie, Diary
      Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete. 2013-07-20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845
   5. (especially in medicine) A treatment plan.
      Miss Clark, alarmed at her increasing stoutness, was doing a course of what is popularly known as banting. 1932, Agatha Christie, The Thirteen Problems
   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.
2. A path that something or someone moves along.
   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.
      It was curious to Oakfield to be back on the Ferozepore course, after a six months' interval, which seemed like years. How much had happened in these six months! 1853, William Delafield Arnold, Oakfield; or, Fellowship in the East, section II, page 124
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.
   The bleeding body signifies as a shameful token of uncontrol, as a failure of physical self-mastery particularly associated with woman in her monthly "courses". 2018, Gail Kern Paster, The Body Embarrassed, Cornell University, page 92
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 played together.

verb

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.
   He is a South American, so perhaps revolutionary spirit courses through Francis's veins. But what, pray, does the Catholic church want with doubt? 20 September 2013, Martina Hyde, “Is the pope Catholic?”, in The Guardian
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.
4. (transitive) To cause to chase after or pursue game.
   to course greyhounds after deer

Etymology 2

adv

1. (colloquial) Ellipsis of of course.
   "Course it's mighty hard to tell till we've put out a few traps," said the former, "but it looks to me like we've struck it lucky." 1922, A. M. Chisholm, A Thousand a Plate