Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
coarse´ly — coarse «krs, kohrs», adjective, coars|er, coars|est. 1. made up of fairly large parts; not fine: »coarse salt, coarse sand. 2. heavy or rough in looks or texture: »Burlap is a coarse cloth. The old fisherman had coarse, weathered features. 3.… … Useful english dictionary
Coarse — (k[=o]rs), a. [Compar. {Coarser} (k[=o]rs [ e]r); superl. {Coarsest}.] [As this word was anciently written course, or cours, it may be an abbreviation of of course, in the common manner of proceeding, common, and hence, homely, made for common… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
coarse — [kôrs] adj. coarser, coarsest [specialized var. of COURSE in sense of “ordinary or usual order” as in of course] 1. of inferior or poor quality; common [coarse fare] 2. consisting of rather large elements or particles [coarse sand] 3. not fine or … English World dictionary
coarse — coarse, vulgar, gross, obscene, ribald are comparable when applied to persons, their language, or behavior and mean offensive to a person of good taste or moral principles. Coarse is opposed to fine not only with reference to material things (as… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
coarse — [ko:s US ko:rs] adj [Date: 1300 1400; Origin: Probably from course (ordinary) way (of things) ] 1.) having a rough surface that feels slightly hard = ↑rough ≠ ↑smooth ▪ a jacket of coarse wool 2.) consisting of threads or parts that are thick or… … Dictionary of contemporary English
coarse — [ kɔrs ] adjective * 1. ) feeling rough and hard: a jacket made from coarse gray cloth the coarse outer leaves of the cabbage 2. ) consisting of large or thick pieces: coarse sand 3. ) rude and offensive: They objected to his coarse language … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
coarse — kō(ə)rs, kȯ(ə)rs adj 1) visible to the naked eye or by means of a compound microscope <coarse particles> 2) of a tremor of wide excursion <a coarse tremor of the extremities> 3) harsh, raucous, or rough in tone used of some sounds… … Medical dictionary
coarse — coarse; coarse·ness; … English syllables
coarse — [adj1] not fine, rude base, bawdy, blue*, boorish, brutish, cheap, common, crass, crude, dirty, earthy, filthy, foul, foul mouthed, gross, gruff, immodest, impolite, improper, impure, incult, indelicate, inelegant, loutish, low, lowbred, lowdown… … New thesaurus
coarse — index blatant (obtrusive), brutal, disreputable, impertinent (insolent), inelegant, lascivious, lur … Law dictionary
coarse — early 15c., cors ordinary (modern spelling is from late 16c.), probably adj. use of noun cours (see COURSE (Cf. course)), originally referring to rough cloth for ordinary wear. Developed a sense of rude c.1500 and obscene by 1711. Perhaps related … Etymology dictionary
