Definition of Excursus

Babylon English Dictionary
appendix, additional section devoted to further explanation of a topic (in a book); digression, deviation from the main point
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Excursus Definition from Arts & Humanities Dictionaries & Glossaries
JM Latin-English Dictionary
N M
running forth| onset| charge| excursion| sally| sudden raid
V
run out; make an excursion; sally; extend; project
Excursus Definition from Language, Idioms & Slang Dictionaries & Glossaries
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
(n.)
A dissertation or digression appended to a work, and containing a more extended exposition of some important point or topic.
  
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), edited by Noah Porter. About
hEnglish - advanced version

excursus
\ex*cur"sus\ (?), n. [l., fr. excurrere, excursum. see excurrent.] a dissertation or digression appended to a work, and containing a more extended exposition of some important point or topic.

WordNet 2.0

Noun
1. a message that departs from the main subject
(synonym) digression, aside, divagation, parenthesis
(hypernym) message, content, subject matter, substance
Excursus Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries
Wikipedia English - The Free Encyclopedia
An excursus (from Latin excurrere, "to run out of") is a short episode or anecdote in a work of literature. Often excursuses have nothing to do with the matter being discussed by the work, and are used to lighten the atmosphere in a tragic story, a similar function to that of satyr plays in Greek theatre. Sometimes they are used to provide backstory to the matter being discussed at hand, as in Pseudo-Apollodorus' Bibliotheke. Furthermore, an excursus is often applied to a piece of academic writing to provide digressive information, which does not contribute directly to the line of argument, but can still be linked with the overall topic of the text.

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