Obs. or dial. [Of uncertain origin.
In sense it is identical with COSS v., being the usual English form while coss is mostly Sc.; this, with the fact that both coss and corse certainly go back to an early date, makes it almost impossible to consider them as mere phonetic variants arising from the vocalization of r in corse, or the insertion of r into the spelling of coss. It is, however, in favor of their identity that there is a third verb, SCORSE, variously written skoase, skoce, scoarse, scource, synonymous in meaning with corse and coss; and that It. has both cozzonare and scozzonare ‘to coarce or trucke horses with a horse-coarcer’ (Florio.)
trans. To exchange, to interchange; to barter; to deal in (a thing) by buying and selling again. In later use only in to corse horses. Hence Corsing vbl. sb., jobbing, brokery.
c. 1325. Metr. Hom., 139. And thar bisyd woned a kniht, That thoru kind was bond and thralle, Bot knihthed gat he wit catelle. This catel gat he wit okering, And led al his lif in corsing.
14[?]. Lyarde, in Rel. Ant., II. 281. And ȝitt salle thay be coussid [? coursid] awaye at Appilby faire, As wyfes makis bargans, a horse for a mare.
1552. R. Hutchinson, Serm. Oppression, Wks. (1841), 321. To persuade the Roman senators to change and corse certain prisoners.
1600. Holland, Livy, XXII. xxiii. 446. About the exchange and coursing [permutandis] of certein prisoners or captives.
1650. Fuller, Pisgah, II. IV. V. 78. They went thither to course horses.
1847–78. Halliwell, Corsing, horse-dealing.
Corse, obs. f. COARSE, COURSE, CROSS, CURSE.
