excursus
/ɛkˈskɝsəs/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.30 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A fuller treatment (in a separate section) of a particular part of the text of a book, especially a classic.
noun
A narrative digression, especially to discuss a particular issue.
Example Sentences
- "Here is what us scholars call an excursus. If you are an honest man the following page or two can be of no possible interest to you."
- "In his excursus on the Jewish people at the opening of the fifth book of his Histories [...], Tacitus was at a loss to uncover any deep cause for the war that broke out in 66."
- "Part III (Chapters 12 to 16) includes an excursus which leads us to the use of Esperanto outside the community of its speakers."
- "The authors devote a fascinating excursus to the Western imagination’s preoccupation with serpents—from Eden to esoterica—and how this primed the ground for Kuṇḍalinī’s reception."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɛkˈskɝsəs/
- British English: /ɛkˈskɜːsəs/