Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Excursion

Excursion

[Latin excursio: compare French excursion. See Excurrent.]

1.
A running or going out or forth; an expedition; a sally.
Far on excursion toward the gates of hell. — Milton
They would make excursions and waste the country. — Holland
2.
A journey chiefly for recreation; a pleasure trip; a brief tour; as, an excursion into the country.
3.
A wandering from a subject; digression.
I am not in a scribbling mood, and shall therefore make no excursions. — Cowper
4.
(Machinery) Length of stroke, as of a piston; stroke. [An awkward use of the word.]