ETYM French prose, Latin prosa, from prorsus, prosus, straight forward, straight on, for proversus; pro forward + versus, p. p. of vertere to turn. Related to Verse.
1. Matter of fact, commonplace, or dull expression.
2. Ordinary writing as distinguished from verse.
Spoken or written language without metrical regularity; in literature, prose corresponds more closely to the patterns of everyday speech than poetry.
In Western literature prose was traditionally used for what is today called nonfiction—that is, history, biography, essays, and so on—while verse was used for imaginative literature. Prose came into its own as a vehicle for fiction with the rise of the novel in the 18th century. In modern literature, the distinction between verse and prose is not always clear cut.

1. Of, relating to, or written in prose
2. Prosaic

1. To write prose
2. To write or speak in a prosaic manner