# concourse
## English
### Etymology

From Middle English concours, from Middle French concours and its etymon Latin concursus, concursum, from concurrere (“to run together”). See concur. Doublet of concours.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkɒŋkɔː(ɹ)s/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Hyphenation: con‧course

### Noun

concourse (plural concourses)
* A large open space in or in front of a building where people can gather, particularly one joining various paths, as in a rail station or airport terminal, or providing access to and linking the platforms in a railway terminus.
** 1961 June, J. Geoffrey Todd, “Impressions of railroading in the United States”, in Trains Illustrated, page 356:The focal point of the N.Y.C., Grand Central Station in New York, is probably the world's best known railway station - and with good reason. The main line concourse alone is more than 120ft high and wide, and over 250ft long.
** 2018, March 1, Tusdiq Din on BBC Sport, Mohamed Salah: Is Liverpool striker's success improving engagement with Muslim fans?
    In east London in October 2013, during a game between West Ham and Manchester City, a small group of home Muslim fans - with no prayer room available - tried to offer their Maghrib (sunset) prayer on a concourse under the main stand at the club's former home Upton Park.
** 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68:On arrival at Birmingham New Street, I make my way upstairs to the mezzanine to get shots of an almost deserted concourse, polka-dotted with social distancing circles like some strange board-game.
* An airport terminal.
* A large group of people; a crowd.
** 1726 October 28, Richard Sympson [pseudonym], “The Publisher to the Reader”, in [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput), pages iv–v:About three years ago, Mr. Gulliver growing weary of the Concourſe of curious People coming to him at his Houſe in Redriff, made a ſmall Purchaſe of Land, with a convenient Houſe, near Newark in Nottinghamſhire, his native Country; where he now lives retired, yet in good eſteem among his Neighbours.
** 1856-1859, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Phillip II
    Amidst the concourse were to be seen the noble ladies of Milan, in gay, fantastic cars, shining in silk brocade.
** 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:When we arrived at the hall we found a much greater concourse than I had expected.
** 2016, Daniel Gray, Saturday, 3pm: 50 Eternal Delights of Modern Football:Down in the concourses at half-time, football and Christmas collide to make excitable children of us all.
* The running or flowing together of things; the meeting of things; a confluence.
** 1662, “Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief Systems of the World”, in Thomas Salusbury, transl., First Day:... there was only wanting the concourse of rains ...
** a. 1677 (date written), Matthew Hale, The Primitive Origination of Mankind, Considered and Examined According to the Light of Nature, London: […] William Godbid, for William Shrowsbery, […], published 1677, →OCLC:The good frame of the universe was not the product of chance or fortuitous concourse of particles of matter.
** 1704, I[saac] N[ewton], “(please specify |book=1 to 3)”, in Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light. […], London: […] Sam[uel] Smith, and Benj[amin] Walford, printers to the Royal Society, […], →OCLC:The drop will begin to move toward the concourse of the glasses.
* An open space, especially in a park, where several roads or paths meet.
* (obsolete) Concurrence; cooperation.
** a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number). The Pleasantness of Religion”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC:The divine providence is wont to afford its concourse to such proceeding.

#### Usage notes

* In the sense of open space, particularly used of indoor spaces, by contrast with plaza, place, square, etc. However, the term may be used for outdoor spaces as well, primarily high-traffic areas in front of a building.

#### Coordinate terms

* (open space): circus, plaza

#### Translations
### References

* ↑ “concǒurs, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
* ↑ “concourse, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.