prose
PROHZ
/proʊz/
Written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure or verse.
Prose includes novels, essays, news articles, and everyday speech, contrasting directly with poetry/verse.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'prosa oratio', meaning 'straightforward or direct speech', shortened from 'prorsus' ('direct, straightforward'). It described natural speech that didn't bend for poetic meter.
Word relationships
- ordinary writing: Informal term lacking literary register.
- narrative line: Refers specifically to storytelling flow rather than general non-verse writing.
- verse: Poetic writing structured with rhythm, meter, or stanzaic form.
Commonly confused with
- poetry: Poetry relies on verse, meter, and line breaks; prose flows continuously in sentences and paragraphs.
Word family
- prosaic (adjective): Commonplace or uninspired (derivation from ordinary prose).
- prosaically (adverb): In an ordinary, dull manner.
Collocations
- lyrical prose
- purple prose
- clear prose
- narrative prose
Idioms & expressions
- prose style
Example sentences
- "The author's lyrical prose elevates what could have been a mundane mystery into a work of art." Book Review
Memory hook
PROSE flows directly PRO-gressing across the line without artificial line breaks. Everyday paragraphs, unbroken by poetic meter.
When not to use
Do not describe rhymed poetry or metered lines (like sonnets) as prose.
Fun facts
- In Molière's famous play 'The Bourgeois Gentleman', the main character is shocked to discover he has been 'speaking prose for forty years without knowing it.'
Related words
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