coarse / kôrs/ • adj. 1. rough or loose in texture or grain: a coarse woolen cloth. ∎  made of large grains or particles: coarse sand. ∎  (of grains or particles) large. ∎  (of a person's features) not elegantly formed or proportioned. ∎  (of food or drink) of inferior quality.2. (of a person or a person's speech) rude, crude, or vulgar.DERIVATIVES: coarse·ness n.coars·ish adj.

coarse †ordinary, common XIV; wanting in fineness or delicacy XVI. Earliest forms cors(e), course; the present form appears XVII, but is anticipated by †cowarce (XVI); the earliest application is to cloth or clothes; of unkn. orig.