Added 9 October 2026
prose
/ˈpɹəʊz/ noun
In Latin: prōsa Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about prose at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
Language, particularly written language, not intended as poetry.
Though known mostly for her prose, she also produced a small body of excellent poems.
- Language which evinces little imagination or animation; dull and commonplace discourse.
- A hymn with no regular meter, sometimes introduced into the Mass.
verb
Origin
From Middle English prose, from Old French prose, from Latin prōsa (“straightforward”) from the term prōsa ōrātiō (“a straightforward speech – i.e. without the ornaments of verse”). further etymology and related terms The term prōsa (“straightforward”), a colloquial form of prorsa (“straight forwards”), the feminine form prorsus (“straight forwards”), from Old Latin prōvorsus (“moving straight ahead”), from pro- (“forward”) + vorsus (“turned”), form of vertō (“to turn”). Compare verse.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)