Prose is ordinary written language, in contrast to poetry.
Shute's prose is stark and chillingly unsentimental.
What he has to say is expressed in prose of exceptional lucidity and grace.
prose in British English
(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. Roman Catholic Church
a hymn recited or sung after the gradual at Mass
5. (modifier)
written in prose
6. (modifier)
matter-of-fact
verb
7.
to write or say (something) in prose
8. (intransitive)
to speak or write in a tedious style
Derived forms
proselike (ˈproseˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
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
prose in American English
(proʊz)
noun
1.
the ordinary form of written or spoken language, without rhyme or meter; speech or writing, sometimes, specif., nonfictional writing, that is not poetry
2.
dull, commonplace talk, expression, quality, etc.
adjective
3.
of or in prose
4.
dull; unimaginative; commonplace; prosaic
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: prosed or ˈprosing
5.
to speak, write, or express (one's thoughts, etc.) in prose or in a prosaic way
Word origin
ME < MFr < L prosa, for prorsa (oratio), direct (speech) < prorsus, forward, straight on < proversus, pp. of provertere, to turn forward: see pro-2 & verse
Examples of 'prose' in a sentence
prose
Most of the time she just scanned the lines (too fast, I thought, to really be savoring the prose ) her expression impassive.
Clive Barker GALILEE (2001)
The novels she wrote (in French) belonged to that period of `new wave" films and elliptical, jagged prose.
Adair, Tom (Intro) THREE KINDS OF KISSING - SCOTTISH SHORT STORIES (2001)
He struck out for the dry ground of fact, and stated it in prose Swift would have been proud of.
Clive Barker THE GREAT AND SECRET SHOW (2001)
The marvelously melodic prose of Julian of Norwich or Richard Rolle, for example, lends weight to the theory.
Newbery, Linda RIDDLE ME THIS (2001)
Quotations
Prose = words in their best order; poetry = the best words in their best orderSamuel Taylor ColeridgeTable Talk
Prose is when all the lines except the last go on to the end. Poetry is when some of them fall short of itJeremy Bentham
All that is not prose is verse; and all that is not verse is proseMolièreLe Bourgeois Gentilhomme
In other languages
prose
British English: prose NOUN
Prose is ordinary written language, in contrast to poetry.
His prose is stark and chillingly unsentimental.
American English: prose
Brazilian Portuguese: prosa
Chinese: 散文
European Spanish: prosa
French: prose
German: Prosa
Italian: prosa
Japanese: 散文
Korean: 산문
European Portuguese: prosa
Latin American Spanish: prosa
All related terms of 'prose'
Prose Edda
a collection of mythological Old Norse poems made in the 12th century
prose poem
a prose composition characterized by a poetic style
prose writer
a person who writes prose
purple prose
writing that calls attention to itself because of its obvious use of certain effects, as exaggerated sentiment or pathos , esp. in an attempt to enlist or manipulate the reader's sympathies
polyphonic prose
a rhythmically free prose employing poetic devices, such as assonance and alliteration
Chinese translation of 'prose'
prose
(prəuz)
n(u)
散文 (sǎnwén)
Quotations
Prose = words in their best order; poetry = the best words in their best order [Samuel Taylor Coleridge – Table Talk]Prose is when all the lines except the last go on to the end. Poetry is when some of them fall short of it [Jeremy Bentham]All that is not prose is verse; and all that is not verse is prose [Molière – Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme]