Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “prose” come from?

Prose comes from French prose, from Latin prosa, derived from Latin prorsus meaning "straightforward," from versus meaning "turned," ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root per- and bʰuH-.

prose (English): Language, particularly written language, not...

Definitions

  1. Language, particularly written language, not...

Ancestry of “prose”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchproseprose; inflection of proser: ##...
2Latinprōsa—
3Latinprorsusstraightforward, right onwards, straight, direct;...
4Latinprō—
5Latinratusconsidered, having been considered; established,...
6Latinrēōr—
7Proto-Italicrēōrto reckon, to calculate; to think, to deem, to...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂reh₁-to think, reason; to arrange
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together

Words derived from “prose”

  • proselyte
  • proselytism
  • prosy
  • proselytize
  • proselytization
  • prosing
  • proselytizer
  • prosiness
  • proser
  • prosily
  • proselytic
  • proselyter
  • prosification
  • proselytist
  • proseman
  • proselike
  • prosify
  • prosingly
  • prosal
  • proselytess
  • transprose
  • prosimetrical
  • technoprose
  • beprose
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- →