excurrere

Excurrere is a Latin verb formed with the prefix ex- meaning “out” and currere meaning “to run.” It conveys outward motion, such as to run out, to extend beyond, to protrude, or to depart from a place. In Classical Latin it appears in a range of constructions and can be used with different complements depending on the context, illustrating both transitive and intransitive senses.

The verb is typically treated as a third-conjugation verb. Its principal parts are excurrō, excurrere, excurrī, excursum. The passive participle is excursus, from which the noun excursus is derived, a term that in Latin denotes a digression or departure and, in English usage, a side discussion in a text.

In its semantic range excurrere covers literal outward movement—such as a river or boundary that extends outward, or a force that rushes forth—as well as figurative senses like surpassing a limit or breaking out of a constraint. The term occurs in classical authors to describe outward motion or boundary crossing, and it has contributed to derivative forms and to the English noun excursus, used to designate a digressive section in scholarly writing.