"discourses" in the noun sense
1. discourse
extended verbal expression in speech or writing
2. sermon, discourse, preaching
an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service)
3. discussion, treatment, discourse
an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic
"the book contains an excellent discussion of modal logic"
"his treatment of the race question is badly biased"
"discourses" in the verb sense
1. discourse, talk about, discuss
to consider or examine in speech or writing
"The author talks about the different aspects of this question"
"The class discussed Dante's `Inferno'"
2. converse, discourse
carry on a conversation
3. hold forth, discourse, dissertate
talk at length and formally about a topic
"The speaker dissertated about the social politics in 18th century England"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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