What does the word discourse mean?

Usage examples for discourse

  1. High and dry was the discourse. – Story of My Life, volumes 1-3 by Augustus J. C. Hare
  2. During dinner every variety of lively discourse was carried on, and my love was the true centre to which all were attracted. – Pictures of German Life in the XVth XVIth and XVIIth Centuries, Vol. II. by Gustav Freytag
  3. Add to this the infinite tenderness of the last discourse in St. John, and the prayer which was for them and not for the world. – The Gospel According to St. Mark by G. A. Chadwick