course

plural courses

1. A sequence of events.

   The normal course of events seems to be just one damned thing after another.

   1 more example

   Tilehurst would in the ordinary course have caught him up and they would have progressed companionably wheel by wheel for as far as their way lay together, discussing the simpler aspects of Tapsfield existence.

   1934, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], The Bravo of London

   1. A normal or customary sequence.

      The course of true love never did run smooth.

      c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]

      1 more example

      Day and night, / Seedtime and harvest, heat and hoary frost, / Shall hold their course.

      1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC

   2. A programme, a chosen manner of proceeding.

      Doubts arose about the expediency of such a course in the present crisis.

   3. Any ordered process or sequence of steps.

      There is but one course for me to follow: I'LL MOIDER THE BUM!

      1958 September 6, Weasel While You Work, spoken by the Barnyard Dawg

   4. educationA learning programme

      Her course will be ‘Communication Studies with Theatre Studies’: God, how tedious, how pointless.

      1992 August 21, Edwina Currie, Diary

      1 more example

      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 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845

   5. educationa series of lectures or lessons in a particular subject

      I need to take a French course.

      Synonyms: class

   6. IrelandPhilippinesUKeducationan educational programme at a college or university leading to an academic degree or vocational qualification.

      What's your course in university? —Business studies. And you?

      1 more example

      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

   7. especiallyA 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

   8. cookingA stage of a meal.

      We offer seafood as the first course.

   9. The succession of one to another in office or duty; order; turn.

      He appointed […] the courses of the priests.

      1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Chronicles 8:14

2. A path that something or someone moves along.

   His illness ran its course.

   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. hobbiesThe trajectory of a ball, frisbee etc.
   5. golfA golf course.
   6. nauticalThe direction of movement of a vessel at any given moment.

      The ship changed its course 15 degrees towards south.

   7. navigationThe intended passage of voyage, such as a boat, ship, airplane, spaceship, etc.

      A course was plotted to traverse the ocean.

   8. IndiahistoricalThe 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. nauticalThe 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. euphemisticin pluralobsoletecoursesMenses.

   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. businessA row of bricks or blocks.

      On a building that size, two crews could only lay two courses in a day.

   2. businessA row of material that forms the roofing, waterproofing or flashing system.
   3. businessIn weft knitting, a single row of loops connecting the loops of the preceding and following rows.
6. entertainmentOne 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 be played together.

present singular third person courses · participle present coursing · participle past coursed · past coursed

1. To run or flow (especially of liquids and more particularly blood).

   The oil coursed through the engine.

   3 more examples

   Blood pumped around the human body courses throughout all its veins and arteries.

   Sudden anger rose in him. “What I’m looking for,” he barked, “is to be left in peace.” His voice trembled with a rage far bigger than her intrusion merited, the rage which shocked him whenever it coursed through his nervous system, like a flood.

   2001, Salman Rushdie, Fury: A Novel, London: Jonathan Cape, →ISBN, page 5

   He is a South American, so perhaps revolutionary spirit courses through Francis's veins. But what, pray, does the Catholic church want with doubt?

   2013 September 20, Martina Hyde, “Is the pope Catholic?”, in The Guardian

2. transitiveTo run through or over.
3. transitiveTo pursue by tracking or estimating the course taken by one's prey; to follow or chase after.

   We coursed him at the heels.

   c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene vi]

4. transitiveTo cause to chase after or pursue game.

   to course greyhounds after deer

alternative hypercorrect 'course

1. abbreviationcolloquialellipsisnot comparableEllipsis of of course.

   Course, my home wasn't exactly in Harlem […]

   1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “Tell a Green Man Something”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 3 (1928–1935: The Big Apple), page 209

   2 more examples

   "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

   Also I enjoy the old school killer zombies of the original George Romero movies and more recent work like ‘28 Days Later’. Course in ‘28 Days Later’ the most terrifying monster of all was the army major as played by Christopher Eccleston, which is like saying, who is the real monster? The zombies or – society?

   2010, Gary Owen, Love Steals Us from Loneliness, London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →DOI, →ISBN, page 13