Discurre

Discurre is a Latin verb form associated with the verb discurrere, meaning to run about, to go to and fro, or to move quickly through a space. The sense can be physical, as when a person or object moves across a place, or figurative, describing a speech, argument, or narrative that moves from topic to topic. The form disccurre appears as a common present imperative in Latin, used to command someone to go about or to roam.

Etymology and form: discurrere is built from the prefix dis- (apart, in different directions) and currere (to run). The infinitive is discurrere, with various tenses and moods forming from the same stem. The imperative form disurr e (discurre) is typically the second-person singular command, often rendered in English as “go about” or “run about.”

Usage in texts: In classical Latin, discurrere frequently describes physical movement through a city, field, or camp, for example, someone discurrit per urbem (he runs about the city). It may also describe a movement through topics or lines of thought, as a discourse or narrative that digresses or wanders. Because of its sense of movement and digression, the word gives rise to the related noun discursus, meaning a running to and fro, a digression, or a course of discussion.

Related terms: The root currere appears in many Latin derivatives, including courant, corridor, and current in English. The noun discursus and related terms such as digressio illustrate the broader metaphor of moving from one point to another in both space and discourse.

See also: currere, discursus, discurrere in Latin dictionaries and grammars.