courser

[ kawr-ser, kohr- ]

/ ˈkɔr sər, ˈkoʊr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR courser ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that courses.

Nearby words

courrèges, course, course of true love never ran smoothly, the, course protractor, course work, courser, courses, courseware, coursework, coursing, court

Origin of courser

First recorded in 1585–95; course + -er¹

Definition for courser (2 of 3)

courser

[ kawr-ser, kohr- ]

/ ˈkɔr sər, ˈkoʊr- /

noun Literary.

a swift horse.

Origin of courser

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French coursier < Vulgar Latin *cursārius, equivalent to Latin curs(us) course + -ārius -ary; see -er²

Definition for courser (3 of 3)

courser

[ kawr-ser, kohr- ]

/ ˈkɔr sər, ˈkoʊr- /

noun

any of several swift-footed, ploverlike birds of the genera Cursorius and Pluvianus, chiefly of the desert regions of Asia and Africa.

Origin of courser

1760–70; irregular < New Latin cursōrius fitted for running, equivalent to Latin cur(rere) to run + -sōrius, for -tōrius -tory¹; cf. course

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for courser

Here he stayed his courser, and sprang to the ground, peering beneath its boughs.
The Fairies and the Christmas Child|Lilian Gask
The lad he upsprang on his courser so high, He galloped as fast as the wingèd birds fly.
The Verner Raven; The Count of Vendel's Daughter|Anonymous
He therefore alighted from his courser, and the Jinnee said to him, “Drink of this spring.”
Folk-Lore and Legends: Oriental|Charles John Tibbitts
And he attentively examined, with his infallible eye, the shape and capabilities of the courser.
The Vicomte de Bragelonne|Alexandre Dumas

The jackal lapped the courser's blood, and moaned with exquisite delight.
Alroy|Benjamin Disraeli

British Dictionary definitions for courser (1 of 3)

courser

/ (ˈkɔːsə) /

noun

a person who courses hounds or dogs, esp greyhounds

a hound or dog trained for coursing

British Dictionary definitions for courser (2 of 3)

courser

/ (ˈkɔːsə) /

noun

literary a swift horse; steed

Word Origin for courser

C13: from Old French coursier, from cours course

British Dictionary definitions for courser (3 of 3)

courser

/ (ˈkɔːsə) /

noun

a terrestrial plover-like shore bird, such as Cursorius cursor (cream-coloured courser), of the subfamily Cursoriinae of desert and semidesert regions of the Old World: family Glareolidae, order Charadriiformes

Word Origin for courser

C18: from Latin cursōrius suited for running, from cursus course

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012