n. & v.
n. 1 the ordinary form of the written or spoken language (opp. POETRY, VERSE) (Milton's prose works). 2 a passage of prose, esp. for translation into a foreign language. 3 a tedious speech or conversation. 4 a plain matter-of-fact quality (the prose of existence). 5 Eccl. = SEQUENCE 8.
v. 1 intr. (usu. foll. by about, away, etc.) talk tediously (was prosing away about his dog). 2 tr. turn (a poem etc.) into prose. prose idyll a short description in prose of a picturesque, esp. rustic, incident, character, etc. prose poem (or poetry) a piece of imaginative poetic writing in prose. proser n.
[ ME f. OF f. L prosa (oratio) straightforward (discourse), fem. of prosus, earlier prorsus direct ]