English → Latin
“discourse” in Latin
intellegentiaintelligence, the power of discernment; understanding, knowledge; taste, skill, the capacity to be a connoisseursermōa conversation, discussion; a rumor, diction, speech, talk, discourse; a language, manner of speakingdisputātiōarguing, reasoning, discussing, debating; argument, debate, dispute; a disputationlīberfree, independent, unrestricted, unchecked, unrestrained, licentious; freeman, freewoman; open (not decided or settled)ōrātiōspeech, discourse, language; the power of speech; manner or style of speakingcōntiōa meeting, assembly; a speech, oration or discourse before a public assemblyōrātiunculaa little speech, a few remarksagōto act, to behave; to do; to make (something that does not continue to exist after the maker stops)dīcōto say, talk, speak, utter, mention; to declare, state; to tellcaedōto cut, hew, fell; to strike, beat; to kill, to murder
The English word discourse itself goes back to Latin currō, through discursus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
discourse s.
Rational power of drawing inferences, etc., ratio, intelligentia. (The words are found in this connection and order.) ratio et (or atque) intelligentia.
Conversation, Vid:
A discourse = a regular speech uttered or written, oratio (general term); concio (delivered to an assembly of the people, soldiers, etc.): sermo doctus (learned discourse): short discourse, oratiuncula: to deliver a discourse, orationem habere, agere, or dicere (general term); concionari, concionem habere (to the people, soldiers, etc.): to compose a discourse, orationem facere or conficere: to prepare a discourse, orationem meditari or commentari: to read a discourse, deliver a written discourse, orationem de scripto dicere [Vid: SPEECH].
Treatise, dissertation, etc., sermo (delivered orally; on any subject, de aliqua re habitus): disputatio: liber: Vid: TREATISE.
discourse v.
confabulari cum aliquo; sermones serere or caedere (κόπτειν λόγους or ῥήματα, of several persons conversing together, Comic): disputare, disserere (to treat of subjects in philosophy, etc.): to discourse secretly on any dangerous subject, occultis sermonibus serere aliquid (Liv. 7, 39, init.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for discourse?
- The usual Latin words for “discourse” are intellegentia, sermō, disputātiō; also līber, ōrātiō, cōntiō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.