a. Forms: 5 cors, corse, 6 cours, cowrse, (cowarce), 6–8 course, 7 coorse, 7– coarse. [First found early in 15th c. No corresp. adj. in Teutonic, Romanic or Celtic. The general spelling down to the 18th c. was identical with that of the sb. COURSE; with that word it is still identical in pronunciation, both in standard English and in the dialects (e.g., Scotch kurs); the spelling coarse appears to have come in about the time when the pronunciation of course changed from u, u, to o, o. Hence the suggestion of Wedgwood that coarse is really an adj. use of course, with the sense ‘ordinary,’ as in the expression of course, ‘of the usual order.’ It appears to have been used first in reference to cloth, to distinguish that made or worn in ordinary course from fine cloth or clothes for special occasions or special persons; ‘course cloth’ would thus be ‘cloth of (ordinary) course.’ Cf. the history of mean, and such expressions as ‘a very ordinary-looking woman,’ a ‘plain person.’
Our first contemporary example of the spelling coarse is in Walton 1653 (where course however also occurs); it became frequent after 1700; course occurs occasionally down to 1800.]
† 1. Ordinary, common, mean (in the depreciatory sense of these epithets); base; of inferior quality or value; of little account. (Cf. also COARSELY.)
1424. E. E. Wills (1882), 56. Too [two] cors bordcloþes, and too peire cors sanapes.
1478. Paston Lett., No. 824, III. 237. Anothyr for the workyng days, how corse so ever it be it makyth no matyr.
1530. Palsgr., 210/1. Course towe, tanure.
1552–3. Inv. Ch. Goods, Staffs., in Ann. Litchfield, IV. 5. Ij cowarce coopes of redde & yellowe silke.
1570. R. Edwards, Damon & P., in Dodsley (1825), I. 200. Course or discourse, your course is very course.
1613. Shaks., Hen. VIII., III. ii. 239. Now I feele Of what course Mettle ye are molded.
1622. Fletcher, Span. Curate, IV. i. (1647). I shall be most happie To be emploi’d … Even in the coursest Office.
1653. Walton, Angler, 199. The worst or coarsest of fresh water fish.
1695. Woodward, Nat. Hist. Earth, VI. (1723), 284–5. Amongst these coarser Metalls are Copper, or Brass, and Iron.
† b. To make coarse account of: to make small account of, treat slightingly. Obs.
1579. Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 54. Such fine dames as … make such course accompt of their passionate louers. Ibid., 124. It is a course which we ought to make a course accompt off.
2. Wanting in fineness, smoothness or delicacy of texture, granulation or structure; consisting of comparatively large parts or particles; or of such as are too large for beauty. Opposed to fine.
(Cf. the early examples referring to cloth in sense 1; it is impossible to say when the notion ceased to be that of ordinary or common quality, and began to be that of the texture which gave this quality.)
1582. J. Lyly, in Four C. Eng. Lett., 39. White meale, where others thought to show cours branne.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., II. 293. The coarse lean Gravel, on the Mountain sides.
1714. Mandeville, Fab. Bees (1725), I. 326. A thick parish gown and a course shirt.
1796. Morse, Amer. Geog., II. 605, note. Course black canvas.
1839. Thirlwall, Greece, I. 289. The same coarse garment served them for summer and winter.
1846. J. Baxter, Libr. Pract. Agric., II. 187. The ashes are sometimes spread in drills … if the finest portions are sifted from the coarser [etc.].
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. § 14. 95. Coarse shingle and débris were collected.
b. in a wider sense: said of the physical quality of men and beasts, herbs, land, etc.
1630. T. Westcote, Devon. (1845), 433. We may soon wander and stray [on the moor] and so make longer stay in this coarse place.
1660. Sharrock, Vegetables, 33. Gardiners that provide cabbage-seed … upon their course ground.
1739. Cibber, Apol., xiii. 349. Coarse Mothers may have comely Children.
1751. Johnson, Rambler, No. 141, ¶ 7. A form … so coarse as to raise disgust.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1776), IV. 308. They seem to prefer the coarsest weeds.
1863. Kingsley, Water-bab., vi. 244. Their jaws grow large and their lips grow coarse.
1883. G. Lloyd, Ebb & Flow, I. 38. Two frightfully dressed women with coarse complexions.
1889. Sat. Rev., 16 March, 326/1. A rather coarse horse, with great bone and power.
3. Rough, harsh, or rude, to the taste, perception, or æsthetic sense. (In early use coming near to 1.) a. of material things; esp. of diet or ‘fare.’
[1587. Harrison, England, II. xii. (1877), I. 234. He liked better of our good fare in such course cabins.]
1607. Hieron, Wks., I. 375. The Lord’s supper, as some course, homely, sluttish fare, is … refused with scorne.
1651. trans. Bacon’s Life & Death, 16. Diogenes … used … tyranny over Himselfe; of a course Diet.
1766. Goldsm., Vic. W., xxxi. Coarser provisions [were] distributed … among the populace.
1859. Tennyson, Geraint & Enid, 1057. Thou, My lord, eat also, tho’ the fare is coarse.
b. of immaterial things.
[1604. Hieron, Wks., I. 476. That, which I haue framed, is but a homely and course discourse. Ibid., I. 487. The meanest profession, the coursest trade.]
1722. De Foe, Col. Jack (1840), 106. It was but very coarse travelling.
1856. Emerson, Eng. Traits, Character, viii. 133. They are full of coarse strength, rude exercise, butcher’s meat, and sound sleep.
1878. Morley, Crit. Misc., Ser. I. Carlyle, 188. It [fatalism] exists in its coarsest and most childish kind in adventurous freebooters of the type of Napoleon.
c. Of the weather: Rough, stormy, foul. Now chiefly dial.
1774. Gentl. Mag., 242. July 4, Bright morning, coarse mid-day, wet evening. July 5, a cloudy coarse day.
a. 1825. Forby, s.v., It is a coarse morning.
1854. Badham, Halieut., 44. When the weather is too coarse for fishing.
1864. Miss Mulock, in Gd. Words, 428. In the Highlands just before ‘coarse’ weather sets in.
1876. Blackmore, Cripps, v. 25. We shall have a coarse night of it, I doubt.
1887. Kentish Gloss., Coarse, rough, snowy, windy weather.
fig. 1861. 1861. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxf., xxiv. (1889), 232. ‘It’ll be a coarse time for Chanter, I take it.’
d. Of sound: Rough and harsh; spec. in Pathol. of certain sounds heard on auscultation in diseased conditions of the chest.
1879. Stainer, Music of Bible, 89. The quality of tone produced by the reed-pipes was … very coarse and shrill.
1883. Quain, Dict. Med., 1118. If the larger tube be affected, and the narrowing not great, the coarser sound is produced.
4. Of persons: Wanting in delicacy of perception, apprehension, action; hence of observations, phenomena, etc.: Not refined or delicate, rough.
1680. H. More, Apocal. Apoc., 308. Exceeding stupid and slow-witted, or of a course perverse Spirit.
a. 1685. Otway, Windsor Castle (R.). We had appetites too coarse to taste.
1788. Priestley, Lect. Hist., II. xli. 96. As nearly … as their coarse observations would enable them to determinate.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., II. § 1. 226. The coarser phenomena, which come under the cognizance of the senses.
1870. Huxley, Lay Serm., iii. 33. Happiness and sorrow would take the place of the coarser monitors, pleasure and pain.
5. Of personal behavior, manners, language, etc.: Unrefined; rough, rude, uncivil, vulgar.
[c. 1510. Barclay, Mirr. Good Mann. (1570), A j. In barbarike language and wordes course and vile.
1586. A. Day, Eng. Secretary, II. (1625), 87. As another said to a rude fellow, you are too course to keepe course in our companie.]
1699. Bentley, Phal., Pref. p. lxxiv. That Language is too course to be given by Me.
1762. J. Brown, Poetry & Mus., vii. (1763), 153. Their coarse Manners melted gradually into false Politeness and Effeminancy.
1855. Milman, Lat. Chr. (1864), IV. VII. v. 160. A coarse age, with that deadness to delicacy which belongs to monastic life.
1880. L. Stephen, Pope, ii. 52. That style of coarse personal satire of which Swift was a master.
b. The sense ‘gross, indelicate’ passes into that of ‘indecent, obscene’ (Chiefly of language.)
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 119, ¶ 5. The most coarse uncivilized Words.
1771. Junius Lett., liv. 281. Any coarse expressions … are unfit … to make use of.
1858. Doran, Crt. Fools, 332. Coarse jokes, acceptable to coarse people in coarse times.
1880. ‘Vernon Lee,’ Stud. Italy, III. i. 86. Comic operas were most often coarse and even gross.
6. Used advb. = COARSELY.
1680. Otway, Orphan, I. iv. 345. No hungry Churl feeds courser at a Feast.
7. Comb. a. parasynthetic, as coarse-featured, -haired, -handed, -lipped, -minded, -tongued, adjs. b. adverbial, as coarse-spun adj. (also as sb. = coarse-spun stuff), coarse-wrought adj.
1850. Mrs. Carlyle, Lett., II. 113. A *coarse-featured red-haired squat woman.
1871. Palgrave, Lyr. Poems, 48. The *coarse-lipped Austrian tyrant.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., IV. 171. The rancorous and *coarseminded Countess.
1768–74. Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1852), II. 558. A ballad tune sung by the *coarse-piped chambermaid.
1649. G. Daniel, Trinarch., Hen. V., cclxvi. Forraging Bees … Not recking *course-spun Thistles.
1703. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., 15. The Rough or *Course-tooth’d File … is to take off the unevenness of your work with the Hammer made in the Forging.
1768–74. Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1852), II. 373. His *coarse-wrought texture.
c. Special comb., as coarse-fibred, coarse-grained a., having coarse fibers, ‘grain’ or texture; also fig. having a coarse nature, wanting in refinement; hence coarse-grainedness; coarse-stuff: see STUFF.
1872. O. W. Holmes, Poet Breakf.-t., x. 323. *Coarse-fibred and fine-fibred people.
1768–74. Tucker, Lt. Nat., II. 79. The *coarse-grained heron.
1818. Syd. Smith, Lett., cxxxv. Rather a coarse-grained fellow.
1876. Tait, Rec. Adv. Phys. Sc., xiii. 315. The *coarse-grainedness of what appears … even to our most powerful microscopes, to be absolutely uniform matter.
1881. Mechanic, 629. The plaster used by plasterers is generally classified as *‘coarse stuff,’ ‘fine stuff,’ and ‘gauged stuff.’
Coarse, obs. f. CORSE, corpse, COURSE.
