Etymology

excursus

ex·curs·us
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Today it means: A fuller discussion (usually in a separate section at the end of a chapter or book) of a particular part of the text of a work, especially a bible commentary or classical Greek or Latin text. Full definition →

Proto-Indo-European *ḱers-
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ḱers-“to run”
  2. English todayexcursus

Learned borrowing from Latin excursus (“excursion; raid, sally, sortie”), a verbal noun from excurrō (“to run out; to sally forth”) + -sus (suffix forming verbal nouns), with the verb derived from ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + currō (“to run; to move, proceed, travel; etc.”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run”)). Doublet of excurse.

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*ḱers- all →

coursehorserushhurryrecurCuronianexcursesupracargo

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.