Discoursed

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Spoke or delivered a formal speech or talk on a subject
2. Expressed thoughts or ideas through extended oral communication
3. Engaged in giving a formal or lengthened oral presentation

Etymology: The past tense of "discourse" carries a surprising trail of running. Its Latin ancestor, "discurrere," meant to run about in different directions, built from "dis-" (apart) and "currere" (to run). That is the same "run" found in "current" and "courier," and the idea of scattering about gradually shifted into the sense of moving from one topic to another, which is how talk came to be called discourse. English took the noun in the Middle Ages from Old French "discours," meaning conversation or speech. Along the way, French spelling was nudged toward "cours" (course), a word connected to running, so the modern form mixes the Latin and French spellings. The Latin noun "discursus" is a doublet of this line, a related word that entered English separately. The verb "discoursed" is simply the past form of this verb, describing someone who has been delivering a lengthy spoken treatment of a subject.

Synonyms: talked, communicated, conversed, discussed, delivered

Antonyms: silenced, refrained, withheld, concealed, ignored