noun
prose
PROHZ
noun
1
Ordinary written or spoken language, as opposed to poetry.
"The novel is written in clear, simple prose."
"He switched from writing poetry to prose in his later career."
verb
1
To write or speak in a dull, long-winded way.
"He prosed on about his holiday for nearly an hour."
How to Use Prose
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishRegular written or spoken language, as opposed to poetry with its rhyme and meter.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
prose and poetry
prose style
a work of prose
Word Forms
prosed past tense, proses plural, Proses plural, proses singular
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Etymology
From Old French prose, from Latin prosa, short for prosa oratio ("straightforward speech"), meaning language without the patterns and ornament of verse.