excursion, n.
(ɛkˈskɜːʃən)
[ad. L. excursiōn-em, n. of action f. excurrĕre to run out: see excur. Cf. F. excursion.]
† 1. a. The action of running out; escape from confinement; ‘progression beyond fixed limits’ (J.); running to extremes; an instance thereof.
| 1579 Twyne Phisicke agst. Fortune ii. Ep. Ded. 153 b, What roaring of flooddes, what excursion of riuers. 1654 H. L'Estrange Chas. I (1655) 4 Nor is it any excursion beyond the precincts of verity to say, that [etc.]. 1729 G. Shelvocke Artillery iv. 266 These round boards—prevent the Excursion of the least Atom of the Moving Power..till the Projectile is departed. 1732 Ray Dissol. World i. iii. (ed. 4) 44 Stop and inhibit their [the winds'] excursions. 1733 Arbuthnot Ess. Air iv. 87 Those great Excursions of the Seasons into the Extremes of Cold and Heat. |
b. transf. The fact or state of ‘running out’ or projecting in any direction (rare). Hence formerly † concr.: Something that runs out or projects; an extension, projecting addition (of a building); an offshoot, branch, projection (of land, mountains, etc.).
| 1622–62 Heylin Cosmogr. i. (1682) 33 Of this large Mountain most of the Hills..are but the excursions. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. vi. vi. §18 Countrey Churches..wherein such excursions of building as present themselves beyond the old fabrick..were since erected. a 1682 Sir T. Browne Tracts 191 An excursion of land shooting out directly. 1852 Sir W. Hamilton Discuss. App. i. 620 Quantity is marked by the relative length of a terminal line within, or its indefinite excursion before, the limit of comparison. |
| fig. a 1626 Bacon War Spain in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) IV. 133 The ravishing whereof was a mere excursion of the first wrong, and a superinjustice. |
† 2. fig. An outburst (of feeling); a sally (of wit); an overstepping of the bounds of propriety or custom, a freak; vagary, escapade. Obs.
| 1662 H. More Philos. Writ. Pref. Gen. (1712) 22 Which was no inconsiderate excursion of a juvenile fervour in him, but a permanent faithfulness..of Spirit. 1680 Burnet Rochester (1692) 124, I have not enlarged on all the Excursions of his wit. 1701 Swift Contests Nobles & Com. Wks. 1755 II. i. 21 Alcibiades, having been formerly noted for the like frolicks and excursions, was immediately accused of this. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 34 ¶4, I think your Raillery has made too great an Excursion, in attacking several Persons of the Inns of Court. 1719 De Foe Crusoe (1840) I. i. 15 This indeed was..an excursion of his spirits. 1785 Cowper Tiroc. 228 His wild excursions, window-breaking feats..are made their favourite themes. 1793 Burke Cond. Minority Wks. 1842 I. 612 His friends saw no security..after this excursion of his, but in the re-union of the party. |
† 3. Mil. An issuing forth against an enemy; a sally, sortie, raid. Obs. exc. in phr. alar(u)ms and excursions (see alarm n. 4 and 11).
| 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. I. 43/2 Trenches that you have made for your oune defense, to keepe off their excursions. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 1230 The Turks..were determined yet to make a great excursion for the spoiling of the countrey. 1665 Manley Grotius' Low C. Warres 637 Placing Forts and Guards along the River, to..repress any Excursions from Fort Andrew. 1701 Lond. Gaz. No. 3756/13 The Germans make Excursions beyond the Adda..to fetch in Forage. |
4. a. A journey, expedition, or ramble from one's home, or from any place with the intention of returning to it.
| 1699 W. Dampier Voy. II. ii. 42 Many little Excursions that I made..in these parts. 1743 Berkeley Let. 29 Oct. Wks. IV. 289 My health..suffers me to make no excursions farther than a mile or two. a 1788 N. Cotton Fire-side iv, Giving her vain excursions o'er, The disappointed bird [Noah's dove] once more Explor'd the sacred bark. 1816 J. Smith Panorama Sc. & Art. II. 159 The longest aëronautic excursion ever taken was by Blanchard. 1823 J. D. Hunter Captivity N. Amer. 124, I started..on a hunting and trading excursion. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. vii. 47, I made a long excursion up the glacier. |
b. fig.
| 1665 Glanvill Sceps. Sci. xiv. 81 The excursions of our roving phancies which cannot be kept to a close attendance. 1704 Swift T. Tub Author's Apol., It is the frequent error of those men..to make Excursions beyond their talent and their office. 1764 Reid Inquiry vii. 211 Many authors have made excursions into this vast territory. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. I. ii. 21 The only excursion into the historical domain which I shall have to ask the reader to make. |
c. transf. in Physics, etc.: One of the individual movements executed by any body or particle in oscillating or alternating motion; the distance traversed in such a movement.
| 1799 Young in Phil. Trans. XC. 136 In the middle of the chord, the excursions on each side the axis are always equal. 1878 Huxley Physiogr. 171 The particles themselves perform very small excursions, merely vibrating up and down. 1879 G. B. Prescott Sp. Telephone 16 The excursions of the plunger rod vary with the amplitude of the several vibrations made by the diaphragm to which it is attached. |
5. spec. A journey or ‘trip’ undertaken for the sake of pleasure or health. In recent use often: a pleasure-trip taken by a number of persons; occas. short for excursion-party or excursion train.
| 1779 Cowper Lett. July Wks. (1876) 38 It was an excursion of pleasure to go to see Ramsgate. 1832 G. Downes Lett. Cont. Countries I. 297 We had yesterday a delightful excursion on the lake. 1860 Mrs. Gaskell Let. ? 26 May (1966) 621 Fare by excursion to London, is 12–6, second class... Now second class excursion to London wd not be agreeable I think. 1911 Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 2 Apr. 14/6 (Railway Advt.), Low excursion rates to eastern points. 1920 Galsworthy Foundations ii. I tuk 'ee therr [sc. to Margate] by excursion when yu was six months. 1966 J. Betjeman High & Low 29 By tramway excursion..In search of diversion The millworkers come. |
6. Deviation from a definite path or course. a. in physical sense. Now only Astron.
| 1603 Holland Plutarch's Mor. 1307 The defect of the Moone and her occultation, be as it were the excursions, deviations out of course. 1727 Swift Desire & Possess. Wks. 1755 IV. i. 82 He strove to pick up all he found, And by Excursions lost his Ground. 1732 Ray Dissol. World iii. v. (ed. 4) 374 The Excursions of these last [the Comets] do argue it more than possible that..the Sun..may quite lose his light. 1833 Herschel Astron. ix. 288 The excursions of the earth on either side of the ellipse, are so very small as to be hardly appreciable. |
† b. A deviation from custom, rule, or propriety. Cf. 2. Obs.
| 1615 Crooke Body of Man 299 Monsters Aristotle calleth Excursions and Digressions of Nature. 1627–77 Feltham Resolves 38 A Watch, to observe thy fails, and thy excursions. a 1656 Bp. Hall Life Rem. Wks. (1660) 11 Finding that..somewhat out of my way, not without a secret blame of my self for so much excursion, I fairly gave up that task. a 1711 Ken Hymnotheo Poet. Wks. 1721 III. 109 On ev'ry Sense he kept strict jealous Eyes, Ready the least Excursion to chastise. 1769 Sir J. Reynolds Disc. ii. (1884) 18 A Student..is always apt..to mistake the most trifling excursions for discoveries of moment. |
† c. A deviation from the direct course in argument or discourse; ‘ramble from a subject’ (J.); a digression. Obs.
| 1574 Whitgift Def. Answ. ii. Wks. 1851 I. 208 It is an argument that you lack good matter, when you make such excursions from the purpose. 1670 Baxter Cure Ch. Div. 259 Pardon this long excursion on this subject. 1684 Earl Roscom. Ess. Transl. Verse 215 Excursions are inexpiably bad, And 'tis much safer to leave out, then add. c 1720 W. Gibson Farriers Dispens. vii. (1734) 167 We shall take the liberty of a short Excursion, to put this matter yet into a better light. 1823 Lamb Elia Ser. i. xi. (1865) 89 You cannot make excursions with him..for he sets you right [in conversation]. |
7. attrib. (sense 5), as in excursion-train, a train intended to convey persons making a pleasure excursion, usually at reduced fares; also excursion-agent, excursion-fare, excursion-party, excursion-ticket.
| 1850 Thackeray in Scribn. Mag. I. 688/2, I should like to come..by the Excursion train. 1866 R. M. Ballantyne Shift. Winds xxiv, It chanced to be an excursion day, and several..were besieging the ticket-windows. 1870 Dickens E. Drood ii, Tope, Chief Verger and Showman, was accustomed to be high with excursion parties. 1878 F. S. Williams Midl. Railw. 626 The exceptional colours [tickets] are for excursion trains. |
Hence exˈcursion v., intr. to make or go on an excursion. exˈcursional a., of or pertaining to an excursion. exˈcursionary a., of the nature of an excursion; of a person, going on an excursion. † exˈcursioner = excursionist. exˈcursionism, the custom or practice of making or organizing excursions.
| 1792 F. Burney Diary Jan. V. 283 You have been excursioning and travelling all the world o'er since I saw you last. 1825 Lamb in Talfourd Life & Lett. xv. 142 Yesterday I excursioned twenty miles. 1885 Daily News 6 Oct. 5 The members of the Church Congress are not much given to excursioning. 1848 Dickens Let. 22 July, Pray let me divide the little excursional excesses of the journey among the gentlemen. 1769 Garrick's Vagary 53, I conclude..my excursionary Trip from London to Stratford. 1858 Mayne Reid in Chamb. Jrnl. IX. 77 Was it..the excursionary belles from Saratoga..who came to visit us? 1786 F. Burney Diary III. 111 The Royal excursioners did not return till between six and seven o'clock. 1886 Goldw. Smith in Macm. Mag. Oct. 406 Excursionism, which began with the Exhibition of 1851, has now assumed immense proportions. |
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Add: [6.] d. A rapid, usu. uncontrolled, increase in the power generated by a nuclear reactor.
| 1954 Nucleonics July 45/1 To quench such reactivity excursion before the fuel plates melt, steam bubbles must appear within a few hundredths of a second. 1965 R. G. Kazmann Mod. Hydrol. iv. 102 It may also become completely unstable, like the ‘excursion’ of a runaway nuclear reactor. 1979 Nature 26 July 270/2 A large energy release over a short time is called a nuclear excursion and cannot occur in normal types of power-generating thermal reactors. 1986 Financial Times 24 Sept. 3/6 At Chernobyl, a ‘super-prompt critical excursion’ occurred in a 1,000 MW power-producing reactor, the experts conclude. |