prose

[ prohz ]

noun

1. the ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse.
2. matter-of-fact, commonplace, or dull expression, quality, discourse, etc.
3. Liturgy. a hymn sung after the gradual, originating from a practice of setting words to the jubilatio of the alleluia.

adjective

1. of, in, or pertaining to prose.
2. commonplace; dull; prosaic.

verb (used with object)

, prosed, pros·ing.

1. to turn into or express in prose.

verb (used without object)

, prosed, pros·ing.

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

prose

/ prəʊz /

noun

1. spoken or written language as in ordinary usage, distinguished from poetry by its lack of a marked metrical structure
2. a passage set for translation into a foreign language
3. commonplace or dull discourse, expression, etc
4. RC Church a hymn recited or sung after the gradual at Mass
5. modifier written in prose
6. modifier matter-of-fact

verb

1. to write or say (something) in prose
2. intr to speak or write in a tedious style

Derived Forms

• ˈproseˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• proselike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prose¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin prōsa (ōrātiō), literally, “straightforward (speech),” feminine of prōsus, prōrsus, contraction of prōversus “turned forward,” past participle of prōvertere “to turn forward,” equivalent to prō- pro- ¹ + vertere “to turn”

Word History and Origins

Origin of prose¹

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

Example Sentences

Ten books in, Whitehead has established a pattern of unpredictability, experimenting across narrative types, structures and even genres, though always delivering sharp observation and rich prose.

From Time

It is the voice that carries the performance — a voice that sounds, simply, the way Twain’s prose reads.

From Washington Post

"Red Sands," by Caroline EdenSharp, place-hungry prose invites readers to the desert cafes and city kitchens of Central Asia, in a vivid book leavened with accessible recipes.

From Washington Post

Take GPT-3 by OpenAI, which produces startling human-like prose that’s both grammatically correct and stays mostly on topic.

From Singularity Hub 

Still, Owusu’s brilliance as a prose writer keeps me hooked even in these moments of uncertainty.

From Washington Post

Francine Prose, in a testament to her talents, has managed to create a wartime saga that is both original and epic.

From The Daily Beast

Prose has created an entire world populated with characters that jump off the page.

From The Daily Beast

In Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction, they record that obsession.

From The Daily Beast

Washington, DC, just a few blocks from Politics and Prose bookstore.

From The Daily Beast

The parallel to which Mr. Ward refers is that contained in the earlier part of the Prose Lancelot.

From Project Gutenberg

Finally, when a child, he was carried off by a water maiden, meer-wîb (incident 7) (Lanzelet—Prose Lancelot).

From Project Gutenberg

It is unnecessary to say that nothing resembles "Gaspard de la nuit" less than the "Poems in Prose."

From Project Gutenberg

According to the Prose Edda, the giant, overcome with fright, took out his knife and severed Thor's line.

From Project Gutenberg

Prose, art aside, must needs bristle with things to be discovered; but in verse the most trifling things appear.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• composition
• essay
• fiction
• nonfiction
• speech
• story
• text
• writing