concourse

Borrowed from French concours, from Latin concursus, from concurrere (“to run together”). See concur.

concourse (plural concourses)

1. 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.
   • 1 March 2018, 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.

2. A large group of people; a crowd.
   • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], London: Printed for Benj[amin] Motte, […], OCLC 995220039, (please specify |part=I, II, III or IV):

     , The Publisher to the Reader

     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.

   • Prescott

     Amidst the concourse were to be seen the noble ladies of Milan, in gay, fantastic cars, shining in silk brocade.

   • 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.

3. The running or flowing together of things; the meeting of things; confluence.
   • 1662 - Thomas Salusbury (translator), Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief Systems of the World, First Day:

     ... there was only wanting the concourse of rains ...

   • Sir M. Hale

     The good frame of the universe was not the product of chance or fortuitous concourse of particles of matter.

   • Sir Isaac Newton

     The drop will begin to move toward the concourse of the glasses.

4. An open space, especially in a park, where several roads or paths meet.
5. (obsolete) concurrence; cooperation
   • Barrow

     The divine providence is wont to afford its concourse to such proceeding.

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

• (open space): circus, plaza