What is proper usage for the term "discourse?"?

(I almost wrote: what is the proper discourse for using the term discourse; though I intend that to ensue (?)!) :)

It’s a complicated word, and I feel is misused, at times by me as well. In academia, it gets thrown around like words such as “unpack” and “dialectic” (another one of those that gets misused). So please, I’d love your takes.