prose
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prose¹
- /ˈpɹəʊz/ UK
- /ˈpɹoʊz/ US
Sounds like pros · Rhymes with -əʊz
Where it comes from
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.
noun proses
- 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. ...the vehicle is plodding prose, but the effect is none the less poignant. And in regard to this I may say that in a hundred places in Trollope the extremity of pathos is reached by the homeliest means.
- A hymn with no regular meter, sometimes introduced into the Mass. Proses are parts of the Office of the Mass which are sung just before the Gospel, upon great Festivals. The French also call those Rhythmical Hymns Proses, which are sung in their Offices in the Church of Rome, in which Rhime only, and not Quantity of Syllables, is observed.
verb proses · prosing · prosed
- To write or repeat in a dull, tedious, or prosy way. Pray, do not prose, good Ethelbert, but speak; What is your purpose?
Prose²
Where it comes from
Borrowed from German Pröse, from a short form of the personal name Ambrose.
proper noun Proses
- A surname from German.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: text, composition, narrative, discourse, exposition, writing, commentary, story, copy, chronicle, language, nonfiction, essay, article, treatise, account
Translations
Every language
Talk about this word "prose." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/prose. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. prose. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/prose "prose." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/prose.Cite this
@misc{prose_2026,
title = {prose},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/prose},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
