Purpose vs Course - What's the difference?
purpose | course |
An object to be reached; a target; an aim; a goal.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=
, volume=188, issue=26, page=6, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly)
, title= A result that is desired; an intention.
The act of intending to do something; resolution; determination.
* 2013 , Phil McNulty, "[http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23830980]", BBC Sport , 1 September 2013:
* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author=
, title= The subject of discourse; the point at issue.
The reason for which something is done, or the reason it is done in a particular way.
(obsolete) Instance; example.
Have set as one's purpose; resolve to accomplish; intend; plan.
* Macaulay
(passive ) Designed for some purpose.
(obsolete) To have a purpose or intention; to discourse.
A sequence of events.
# A normal or customary sequence.
#* Shakespeare
#* Milton
# A programme, a chosen manner of proceeding.
# Any ordered process or sequence or steps.
# A learning program, as in a school.
#* 1661 , ,
#* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= # A treatment plan.
# A stage of a meal.
# The succession of one to another in office or duty; order; turn.
#* Bible, 2 Chron. viii. 14
A path that something or someone moves along.
# The itinerary of a race.
# A racecourse.
# The path taken by a flow of water; a watercourse.
# (sports) The trajectory of a ball, frisbee etc.
# (golf) A golf course.
# (nautical) The direction of movement of a vessel at any given moment.
# (navigation) The intended passage of voyage, such as a boat, ship, airplane, spaceship, etc.
(nautical) The lowest square sail in a fully rigged mast, often named according to the mast.
.
A row or file of objects.
# (masonry) A row of bricks or blocks.
# (roofing) A row of material that forms the roofing, waterproofing or flashing system.
# (textiles) In weft knitting, a single row of loops connecting the loops of the preceding and following rows.
(music) A string on a lute.
(music) A pair of strings played together in some musical instruments, like the vihuela.
To run or flow (especially of liquids and more particularly blood).
* 2013 , Martina Hyde, Is the pope Catholic?'' (in ''The Guardian , 20 September 2013)[http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/20/is-pope-catholic-atheists-gay-people-abortion]
To run through or over.
* Alexander Pope
To pursue by tracking or estimating the course taken by one's prey; to follow or chase after.
* Shakespeare
To cause to chase after or pursue game.
(colloquial)
As verbs the difference between purpose and course
is that purpose is have set as one's purpose; resolve to accomplish; intend; plan while course is .As a noun purpose
is an object to be reached; a target; an aim; a goal.purpose
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)Ed Pilkington
‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told, passage=In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.}}
- United began with more purpose in the early phase of the second half and Liverpool were grateful for Glen Johnson's crucial block from Young's goalbound shot.
Sarah Glaz
Ode to Prime Numbers, volume=101, issue=4, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Some poems, echoing the purpose of early poetic treatises on scientific principles, attempt to elucidate the mathematical concepts that underlie prime numbers. Others play with primes’ cultural associations. Still others derive their structure from mathematical patterns involving primes.}}
- (Spenser)
- The purpose of turning off the lights overnight is to save energy.
Synonyms
* (target ): aim, goal, object, target * (intention ): aim, plan, intention * (determination ): determination, intention, resolution * (subject of discourse ): matter, subject, topic * (reason for doing something ): reason * See alsoDerived terms
(terms derived from purpose) * all-purpose * common purpose * cross-purpose * fit for purpose * for all intents and purposes * game with a purpose * general-purpose * infinitive of purpose * multi-purpose * metapurpose * purpose-built * purposeful * purposeless * purpose-like * purpose loan * purposely * purpose statement * on purposeEtymology 2
From (etyl)Verb
(purpos)- I purpose to write the history of England from the accession of King James the Second down to a time which is within the memory of men still living.
- (Spenser)
Derived terms
* purposed * purposer * purposive * on purposeSynonyms
* (have set as one's purpose ): aim, intend, mean, plan, set out * (designed for some purpose ): intendedReferences
* * *Statistics
*course
English
Noun
(en noun)- The course of true love never did run smooth.
- Day and night, / Seedtime and harvest, heat and hoary frost, / Shall hold their course .
The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond
- During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant
The attack of the MOOCs, passage=Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses , the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.}}
- He appointed the courses of the priests.
Derived terms
* bird course * courseless * courselike * crash course * due course * let nature take its course * massive open online course (MOOC) * of course * off course * on courseVerb
- The oil coursed through the engine.
- Blood pumped around the human body courses throughout all its veins and arteries.
- He is a South American, so perhaps revolutionary spirit courses through Francis's veins. But what, pray, does the Catholic church want with doubt?
- The bounding steed courses the dusty plain.
- We coursed him at the heels.
- to course greyhounds after deer