noun
Common
courses
KAW-sihz
Courses (noun) means a somewhat dated or clinical way of referring to a woman's menstrual period. Example: “The old medical text referred to menstruation simply as "her courses.”
noun
1
A somewhat dated or clinical way of referring to a woman's menstrual period.
"The old medical text referred to menstruation simply as "her courses.""
"My grandmother never said period; she always spoke quietly of her courses."
"In the nineteenth-century novel, the maid was excused because of her courses."
How to use courses
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn older term for a woman's monthly period; more commonly you'll see "course" used for classes, routes, or meal stages (see the entry for "course").
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The old medical text referred to menstruation simply as "her _____."
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Rhymes for courses
See all rhymes for courses →Frequently asked questions
What does “courses” mean?
The word “courses” means a somewhat dated or clinical way of referring to a woman's menstrual period. In plain terms, an older term for a woman's monthly period; more commonly you'll see "course" used for classes, routes, or meal stages (see the entry for "course").
How do you pronounce “courses”?
“Courses” is pronounced KAW-sihz (/ˈkɔɹsɪz/ in IPA).
How do you use “courses” in a sentence?
Here is “courses” used in a sentence: “The old medical text referred to menstruation simply as "her courses.".”
What part of speech is “courses”?
“Courses” is a noun.
Is “courses” a common word?
“Courses” is a fairly common word in modern English.
Is courses a common word for a menstrual period?
No. Using courses to mean a woman's monthly period is dated and now rarely heard in everyday speech. It survives mainly in older medical texts and historical writing. Today most people simply say period, while menstruation or menses are the usual terms in a clinical or medical setting.
Where does the term courses come from?
In this sense, courses draws on the older meaning of a course as a regular, repeating progression, like the course of a river or the changing seasons. Because menstruation follows a predictable monthly cycle, earlier writers referred to it as a woman's courses, emphasising its recurring, orderly nature.
What is the difference between courses and menses?
Both refer to menstrual flow, but they differ in tone and era. Menses is the standard clinical term still used in medicine today. Courses is an older, largely archaic word for the same thing, once common in historical and medical writing but now mostly replaced by period or menstruation.
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