Tending to wander from topic to topic in speech or writing; rambling or digressive rather than focused and direct. Can also mean proceeding by reasoning rather than intuition.
From Latin 'discursus,' past participle of 'discurrere' meaning 'to run about,' from 'dis-' (apart) and 'currere' (to run). The metaphor of thoughts 'running about' in different directions perfectly captures the wandering nature of discursive thinking.
Think 'discourse that curses'—discursive writing curses itself by wandering off topic! Like a river with many branches, discursive speech runs in many directions instead of flowing straight to the point.
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