Discursive \Dis*cur"sive\, a. [Cf. F. discursif. See {Discourse}, and cf. {Discoursive}.] 1. Passing from one thing to another; ranging over a wide field; roving; digressive; desultory. ``Discursive notices.'' --De Quincey. The power he [Shakespeare] delights to show is not intense, but discursive. --Hazlitt. A man rather tacit than discursive. --Carlyle. 2. Reasoning; proceeding from one ground to another, as in reasoning; argumentative. Reason is her being, Discursive or intuitive. --Milton. -- {Dis*cur"sive*ly}, adv. -- {Dis*cur"sive*ness}, n. web1913
discursive adj 1: (philosophy) proceeding to a conclusion by reason or argument rather than intuition [syn: {dianoetic}] 2: (of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects; "amusingly digressive with satirical thrusts at women's fashions among other things"; "a rambling discursive book"; "his excursive remarks"; "a rambling speech about this and that" [syn: {digressive}, {excursive}, {rambling}] wn