coarse

English

Etymology

Adjectival use of course that diverged 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

• (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/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)s
• Homophone: course

Adjective

coarse (comparative coarser, superlative coarsest)

1. Composed of large parts or particles; of inferior quality or appearance; not fine in material or close in texture.
2. Lacking refinement, taste or delicacy.

   coarse manners

   coarse language

   • 1791, John Walker, A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary […] ‎^[1], London: Sold by G. G. J. and J. Robinſon, Paternoſter Row; and T. Cadell, in the Strand, OCLC 37805775, page 211:

     ☞ This word [earth] is liable to a coarſe vulgar pronunciation, as if written Urth; […]

Usage notes

• 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

• (of inferior quality): thick, rough, sharp, hard
• (not refined): rough, rude, uncouth, blunt, unpolished, inelegant, indelicate, vulgar, gritty, obscene, crass

Antonyms

• (of inferior quality): fine

Derived terms

• coarsely
• coarsen
• coarseness

Translations

containing large particles

• Arabic: ثَخِن‎ (ṯaḵin)
• Bashkir: эре (ere)
• Biatah Bidayuh: gurot
• Bulgarian: едрозърнест (bg) (edrozǎrnest)
• Czech: hrubý (cs), drsný (cs)
• Danish: grovkornet
• Finnish: karkea (fi)
• French: grossier (fr)
• Galician: tarosco, xoto, brosmo, basto, groufo
• German: grob (de), grobkörnig (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: χονδρός (khondrós)

• Hebrew: גַּס‎ (he) (gas)
• Italian: grossolano (it), grezzo (it), grosso (it)
• Japanese: 粗い (ja) (arai)
• Malay: kasar (ms)
• Maori: kaitara (of texture), matanui
• Russian: кру́пный (ru) (krúpnyj)
• Swedish: grov (sv)
• Tocharian B: aśāwe, śāwe
• Ukrainian: гру́бий (hrúbyj)

of inferior quality

• Bulgarian: долнокачествен (bg) (dolnokačestven)
• Catalan: groller (ca), bast (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 粗糙的 (zh) (cūcāo de)

• Czech: hrubý (cs)
• Danish: grov
• Dutch: ruw (nl), grof (nl)
• Finnish: karkea (fi)
• French: brut (fr)
• Galician: tordelán, esguerio, brosmo
• German: grob (de)
• Hebrew: גַּס‎ (he) (gas); נָחוּת‎ (nakhut)
• Hungarian: durva (hu)
• Ido: kruda (io)

• Italian: rude (it), grossolano (it)
• Japanese: 粗い (ja) (あらい, arai)
• Latvian: rupjš
• Middle English: cours
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: grov (no)

  Nynorsk: grov

• Portuguese: grosseiro (pt)
• Romanian: de proastă calitate, grosolan (ro), brut (ro)
• Russian: гру́бый (ru) (grúbyj), черново́й (ru) (černovój), необрабо́танный (ru) (neobrabótannyj), низкока́чественный (ru) (nizkokáčestvennyj)
• Spanish: tosco (es), rústico (es), rudo (es), bruto (es), crudo (es), grosero (es), burdo (es), chabacano (es), ramplón (es)
• Swedish: grov (sv)

not refined

• Bulgarian: груб (bg) (grub), необработен (bg) (neobraboten)
• Catalan: brut (ca),groller (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 粗躁 (zh) (cūzào), 粗魯 (zh), 粗鲁 (zh) (cūlǔ)

• Czech: hrubý (cs)
• Danish: grov
• Finnish: karkea (fi)
• French: vulgaire (fr)
• Galician: rude, burdallo, labrusco, marán, matulán, saloio, támaro, lurdio, paizoco, cazurlo, baldrocas, groseiro
• German: grob (de), derb (de), primitiv (de)
• Hebrew: גַּס‎ (he) (gas)
• Hungarian: durva (hu)

• Irish: borb
• Italian: rozzo (it), grezzo (it), greggio (it), sguaiato (it)
• Latvian: rupjš
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: grov (no)

  Nynorsk: grov

• Portuguese: rude (pt), grosseiro (pt)
• Romanian: brut (ro), grosier (ro), grosolan (ro)
• Russian: гру́бый (ru) (grúbyj), вульга́рный (ru) (vulʹgárnyj), непристо́йный (ru) (nepristójnyj), неприли́чный (ru) (neprilíčnyj), поха́бный (ru) (poxábnyj)
• Spanish: grosero (es), bruto (es), soez (es), chocarrero
• Swedish: grov (sv)

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.

Translations to be checked

• Norman: ^{(please verify)} grôssyi (Jersey)

Further reading

• “coarse” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• coarse in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• coarse at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Arceos, Rascoe, acrose, ocreas