What does discursion mean?
Discursion is a formal, somewhat rare noun meaning a digression — the act of straying from a main subject in speech or writing and moving from topic to topic. It derives from the Latin verb discurrere, meaning 'to run about' or 'to run in different directions', which captures the image behind the word: thought that runs around rather than straight ahead. In critical writing, discursion may be condemned as a sign of an undisciplined mind, or praised as evidence of wit, learning, and breadth of association; much depends on whether the wanderings eventually return home. The word belongs mainly to elevated registers — essays, reviews, and scholarly discussion — where it offers a slightly more learned alternative to 'digression'. A related adjective, discursive, is far more common and can describe both rambling prose and, in philosophy, reasoning that proceeds step by step.
nounA digression; the act or practice of passing from one topic to another in speech or writing, especially at length and without returning to the main subject.
- The action of moving from one subject to another rather than following a direct line of thought; a digression.
- Discursive or rambling speech or writing considered as a whole.
"Her essay was admired less for its argument than for its delightful discursions into literary history."
"The lecture began on Renaissance painting, but its charming discursions soon carried us into alchemy and early cartography."
"He writes with such constant discursion that the reader must reconstruct the central argument for himself."
Used when referring to individual instances of digression within a work or speech.
"The essay's frequent discursions, though entertaining, obscure its argument."
Discursion comes straight from Latin discurrere — literally 'to run about' — so when a speaker discurses, they are quite literally running around their subject instead of toward it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of discursion
Discursion comes from Latin discurrere, formed from dis- ('apart, in different directions') plus currere ('to run'), giving the literal sense 'to run about'. The noun was adopted into English in the late sixteenth or seventeenth century via the Latin stem discurs-. It shares this root with a family of English words including discursive, discourse, and, more distantly through currere, course, current, and courier. Its sibling 'digression', borrowed through French, ultimately displaced it as the everyday term.
How discursion is actually used
Discursion is a rare, formal word, used chiefly in literary criticism and academic prose. It carries a mildly evaluative tone: it can suggest an author's pleasing breadth of reference or, more often, an unforgivable failure to stay on point. It is far less common than its synonym 'digression'.
Easily confused with discursion
Discourse refers to extended verbal expression or communication on a subject, while discursion refers specifically to the act of wandering away from the main topic.