prose

[ prohz ]

/ proʊz /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prose ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse.

matter-of-fact, commonplace, or dull expression, quality, discourse, etc.

Liturgy. a hymn sung after the gradual, originating from a practice of setting words to the jubilatio of the alleluia.

adjective

of, in, or pertaining to prose.

commonplace; dull; prosaic.

verb (used with object), prosed, pros·ing.

to turn into or express in prose.

verb (used without object), prosed, pros·ing.

to write or talk in a dull, matter-of-fact manner.

Nearby words

proscenium, prosciutto, proscribe, proscription, proscriptive, prose, prose edda, prose poem, prosecco, prosecretin, prosect

Origin of prose

1300–50; Middle English < Middle French < Latin prōsa (ōrātiō) literally, straightforward (speech), feminine of prōsus, for prōrsus, contraction of prōversus, past participle of prōvertere to turn forward, equivalent to prō- pro-¹ + vertere to turn

Related forms

prose·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for prose

Prose has created an entire world populated with characters that jump off the page.
French Lesbian Auto-Racer Turns Nazi Spy: Francine Prose’s Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932|Jessica Ferri|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Washington, DC, just a few blocks from Politics and Prose bookstore.
Joshua Foer: How I Write|Noah Charney|January 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Prose accordingly prepared to descend, and was recommended by the interpreter to slide down by the hind leg of the animal.
The King's Own|Captain Frederick Marryat
Each number will consist of such originals in Prose and Verse as we hope will prove agreeable to our readers.
Rowlandson's Oxford|A. Hamilton Gibbs

Prose pleased only people whose intelligence was very subtle.
The Red Lily, Complete|Anatole France
Prose is poetry—we have proved that to the satisfaction of all mankind.
Recreations of Christopher North, Volume I (of 2)|John Wilson
Prose stories are usually told in the domestic circle, and in gatherings of women at Selo or Prelo.
Serbian Folk-lore|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for prose

prose

/ (prəʊz) /

noun

spoken or written language as in ordinary usage, distinguished from poetry by its lack of a marked metrical structure

a passage set for translation into a foreign language

commonplace or dull discourse, expression, etc

RC Church a hymn recited or sung after the gradual at Mass

(modifier) written in prose

(modifier) matter-of-fact

verb

to write or say (something) in prose

(intr) to speak or write in a tedious style

Derived Forms

proselike, adjective

Word Origin for prose

C14: via Old French from Latin phrase prōsa ōrātiō straightforward speech, from prorsus prosaic, from prōvertere to turn forwards, from pro- 1 + vertere to turn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

prose

noun

adjective

verb (used with object), prosed, pros·ing.

verb (used without object), prosed, pros·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of prose

Related forms

Examples from the Web for prose

British Dictionary definitions for prose

prose

noun

verb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for prose