Forms: 4 courcere, corsour, 4–5 coursere, coursour, 5 cursoure, (5 courcyer, corsiare, coreser, couresere, cowrssor, -ser, corsowyr), 5–6 curser, 6 cursore, coursar, 6–9 Sc. cursour, 4– courser. [a. F. coursier, OF. corsier = Pr. corsier, It. corsiere:—L. type *cursārius, f. cursus: see COURSE. In ME. the ending -our was often erroneously substituted.]
1. orig. A large powerful horse, ridden in battle, in a tournament, etc. [cf. COURSE sb. 5]: a charger.
b. Since 17th c. usually taken as: A swift horse, a racer. But in either sense now only poetic or rhetorical.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 4056. And sette him on an hygh corsour.
1393. Gower, Conf., III. 41. A courser, that he sholde ride Into the felde.
1413. Lydg., Pilgr. Sowle, V. x. (1483), 101. A fayre courcyer brydeled with gold.
1484. Caxton, Chivalry, 25. Kniȝtes ouȝt to take coursers to Iuste and to go to tornoyes.
1501. Douglas, Pal. Hon., 551. Vpon a bardit curser stout and bald.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 232. This Colgernus vpone ane cursour wycht, With speir in hand all cled in armor brycht.
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., I. ii. 51. That they may breake his foaming Coursers backe, And throw the Rider headlong in the Lists.
1630. R. Johnson’s Kingd. & Commw., 421. The Courser of Naples … though he be not so swift as the Spanish Genet, yet is he better able to indure travell, and to beare the weight of Armor.
1632. J. Hayward, trans. Biondi’s Eromena, 35. Armed at all pieces, and mounted on a great Courser.
1781. Gibbon, Decl. & F., III. xlviii. 58. He entered the lists on a fiery courser.
1867. Bryant, Poems, Brighter Day, ii. The fiery coursers fling Their necks aloft, and snuff the morning wind.
b. 1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., III. 27. Then I … a hundred Coursers from the Goal will drive.
1719. Young, Busiris, I. i. Ethiopia sends A thousand coursers fleeter than the wind.
1839. Thirlwall, Greece, VI. 223. He alighted from his chariot, mounted a fleet and eager courser.
† 2. A stallion. Obs. or Sc.
1483. Cath. Angl., 79. A Cowrssor, admissarius.
1570. Levins, Manip., 72/22. A courser, equus admissarius.
1808. Jamieson, Cursour, couser, cusser, a stallion.
1862. Hislop, Prov. Scot., 5. A fey man and a cursour fears na the deil.
3. Comb., as courser-breeding ppl. adj.
1725. Pope, Odyss., XXI. 374. Wide Elis’ courser-breeding plain.
