excursus
noun
ex·cur·sus
ik-ˈskər-səs 
plural excursuses also excursus
ik-ˈskər-səs
-ˌsüs
-ˌsüs
: an appendix or digression that contains further exposition of some point or topic
Examples of excursus in a Sentence
this biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine contains an interesting excursus on the status of women in the Middle Ages
Recent Examples on the Web
Abrahamian’s most riveting excursus tells the story of a Soviet vessel that was launched from a Finnish shipyard in 1975.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Stylistically, some of the stories occasionally slip into excursus, a tell-don’t-show technique that is handy for unpacking scientific details or philosophical musings but risks sounding like a proof or a succession of lemmas.
—Sheon Han, The New Republic, 23 Feb. 2021
There’s a detailed excursus into the California gubernatorial race of 1934, which Upton Sinclair lost, running on a poverty-fighting platform.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2020
His process involves a series of sketches, long textual excursuses and model-making with his team.
—Nikil Saval, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2020
There are long critical essays, short book reviews, reportage with a literary inflection, histories, missives, diary entries, aphorisms, parables, advice, dreams, a test, fictional excursus and, yes, lists.
—Zachary Fine, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2018
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Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Stylistically, some of the stories occasionally slip into excursus, a tell-don’t-show technique that is handy for unpacking scientific details or philosophical musings but risks sounding like a proof or a succession of lemmas.
—Sheon Han, The New Republic, 23 Feb. 2021
There’s a detailed excursus into the California gubernatorial race of 1934, which Upton Sinclair lost, running on a poverty-fighting platform.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2020
His process involves a series of sketches, long textual excursuses and model-making with his team.
—Nikil Saval, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2020
There are long critical essays, short book reviews, reportage with a literary inflection, histories, missives, diary entries, aphorisms, parables, advice, dreams, a test, fictional excursus and, yes, lists.
—Zachary Fine, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2018
Dictionary Entries Near excursus
Cite this Entry
“Excursus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excursus. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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