coarse
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Adjectival use of course, diverging therefrom in spelling in the 18th century. The sense developed from '(following) the usual course' (cf. of course) to 'ordinary, common' to 'lacking refinement', with 'not fine, granular' arising from its application to cloth. Compare the development of mean.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kôs, IPA(key): /kɔːs/
- (General American) enPR: kôrs, IPA(key): /kɔːɹs/
- (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) enPR: kōrs, IPA(key): /ko(ː)ɹs/
- (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA(key): /koəs/
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Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)s
- Homophone: course
Adjective[edit]
coarse (comparative coarser, superlative coarsest)
- Composed of large parts or particles; of inferior quality or appearance; not fine in material or close in texture.
- Lacking refinement, taste or delicacy;
- coarse manners
- coarse language
Usage notes[edit]
- Nouns to which "coarse" is often applied: language, particle, grain, graining, sand, powder, gravel, grit, salt, gold, thread, hair, cloth, grid, aggregate, texture, grass, fish, angling, fishing.
Synonyms[edit]
- (of inferior quality): thick, rough, sharp, hard
- (not refined): rough, rude, uncouth, blunt, unpolished, inelegant, indelicate, vulgar, gritty, obscene, crass
Antonyms[edit]
- (of inferior quality): fine
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
containing large particles
of inferior quality
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not refined
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Further reading[edit]
- coarse in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- coarse in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- coarse at OneLook Dictionary Search
