Etymograph

English

prose

Prose comes from Latin prōsa ‘straightforward’, and goes back to ōrō ‘to speak as an orator’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEōrō1‘to speak as an orator’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEōrātiō2‘a straightforward speech – i.e. without the ornaments of verse’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōsa2‘straightforward’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400prose2
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500prose2
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1667prose2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin oratio
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English prose
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1667, John Milton: “...Or if Sion Hill Delight thee more, and Siloa's…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEōrōWiktionary, Latin oratio‘to speak as an orator’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEōrātiōWiktionary, English prose‘a straightforward speech – i.e. without the ornaments of verse’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōsaWiktionary, English prose‘straightforward’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400proseWiktionary, English prose
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500proseWiktionary, English prose
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1667proseWiktionary, English prose. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1667, John Milton: “...Or if Sion Hill Delight thee more, and Siloa's…”

Linked words

through Latin ōrō ‘to speak as an orator’

oracle, orator, inexorable, 11 more

through Latin ōrātiō ‘a straightforward speech – i.e. without the…’

oration, 2 more

through Latin prōsa ‘straightforward’

prosaic, 1 more

Today it means

noun Language, particularly written language, not intended as poetry.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “prose”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin oratio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin ōrō / prose

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