discursive
/dɪsˈkɜː(ɹ)sɪv/ adjective
- adjective (of speech or writing) Tending to digress from the main point.
- adjective (philosophy) Using reason and argument rather than intuition.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French discursif, formed from the stem of Latin discursus and the suffix -if, and in part borrowed from Medieval Latin discursivus. By surface analysis, discourse + -ive.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Passing from one thing to another; ranging over a wide field; roving; digressive; desultory. "Discursive notices." De Quincey.
- adjective Reasoning; proceeding from one ground to another, as in reasoning; argumentative.
Etymology [Cf. F. discursif. See Discourse, and cf. Discoursive.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “discursive”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details