course
Definitions
A series of lessons or a program of study
课程，教程
The route or direction something takes
路线，方向；进程
An area of land for a sport (golf course, racecourse)
（运动）场地，跑道
To flow rapidly (especially of liquid)
（液体）奔流，流动
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom cursus (a 'run'), past participle of currere. It began as a running track, then stretched to mean any path or sequence: the course of a river, the course of events, and a course of study — the track you follow through a subject. -cours- is a variant of car.
Root car still carries 96 more wordsWhy It Means This
Trace the journey from a single image: a running track. Run a race → the course you run → any path (the river's course) → the unfolding of events over time (the course of history) → 'of course' (the natural way things run) → a sequence of lessons that students 'run through' (a course). One word, one root meaning 'run,' spread across school, sport, and time.
Usage Guide
'of course' = naturally/certainly (idiom, not literal). 'in the course of' = during. Don't confuse with coarse (rough). golf course / racecourse keep the 'track' sense; the verb (blood coursing through veins) is literary/formal.
Example Sentences
- 1.
I signed up for an online course in design.
- 2.
The river changed its course after the flood.
- 3.
Of course you can borrow my notes.
- 4.
They played eighteen holes on the new golf course.
Easily Confused
course vs coarse — homophones. course = path/lessons; coarse = rough in texture or manner (coarse sand, coarse language). If you can replace it with 'rough,' it's coarse.