concourse

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from French concours, from Latin concursus, from concurrere (“to run together”). See concur.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈkɒŋkɔː(ɹ)s/
  • Audio (US)(file)

Noun[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

concourse (plural concourses)

  1. A large open space in or in front of a building where people can gather, particularly one joining various paths, as in a rail station or airport terminal, or providing access to and linking the platforms in a railway terminus.
    • 1961 June, J. Geoffrey Todd, “Impressions of railroading in the United States”, in Trains Illustrated, page 356:
      The focal point of the N.Y.C., Grand Central Station in New York, is probably the world's best known railway station - and with good reason. The main line concourse alone is more than 120ft high and wide, and over 250ft long.
    • 2018, March 1, Tusdiq Din on BBC Sport, Mohamed Salah: Is Liverpool striker's success improving engagement with Muslim fans?
      In east London in October 2013, during a game between West Ham and Manchester City, a small group of home Muslim fans - with no prayer room available - tried to offer their Maghrib (sunset) prayer on a concourse under the main stand at the club's former home Upton Park.
    • 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68:
      On arrival at Birmingham New Street, I make my way upstairs to the mezzanine to get shots of an almost deserted concourse, polka-dotted with social distancing circles like some strange board-game.
  2. Airport terminal.
  3. A large group of people; a crowd.
    • 1726 October 28, Richard Sympson [pseudonym], “The Publisher to the Reader”, in [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput), pages iv–v:
      About three years ago, Mr. Gulliver growing weary of the Concourſe of curious People coming to him at his Houſe in Redriff, made a ſmall Purchaſe of Land, with a convenient Houſe, near Newark in Nottinghamſhire, his native Country; where he now lives retired, yet in good eſteem among his Neighbours.
    • 1856-1859, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Phillip II
      Amidst the concourse were to be seen the noble ladies of Milan, in gay, fantastic cars, shining in silk brocade.
    • 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London, New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
      When we arrived at the hall we found a much greater concourse than I had expected.
    • 2016, Daniel Gray, Saturday, 3pm: 50 Eternal Delights of Modern Football:
      Down in the concourses at half-time, football and Christmas collide to make excitable children of us all.
  4. The running or flowing together of things; the meeting of things; confluence.
    • 1662, “Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief Systems of the World”, in Thomas Salusbury, transl., First Day:
      ... there was only wanting the concourse of rains ...
    • a. 1677 (date written), Matthew Hale, The Primitive Origination of Mankind, Considered and Examined According to the Light of Nature, London: […] William Godbid, for William Shrowsbery, […], published 1677, →OCLC:
      The good frame of the universe was not the product of chance or fortuitous concourse of particles of matter.
    • 1704, I[saac] N[ewton], “(please specify |book=1 to 3)”, in Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light. […], London: […] Sam[uel] Smith, and Benj[amin] Walford, printers to the Royal Society, […], →OCLC:
      The drop will begin to move toward the concourse of the glasses.
  5. An open space, especially in a park, where several roads or paths meet.
  6. (obsolete) concurrence; cooperation
    • a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number). The Pleasantness of Religion”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC:
      The divine providence is wont to afford its concourse to such proceeding.

Usage notes[edit]

In sense "open space", particularly used of indoor spaces, by contrast with plaza, place, square, etc. However, may be used for outdoor spaces as well, primarily high-traffic areas in front of a building.

Coordinate terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

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