Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
Definition of prolix - 4 dictionary results
Prolix Cleaning Solvent
 Biodegradeable, non-petroleum based metal lubricant and cleaner
 www.rangegear.com

pro⋅lix

  [proh-liks, proh-liks]
Use prolix in a Sentence
–adjective
1. extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy.
2. (of a person) given to speaking or writing at great or tedious length.
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME < L prōlixus extended, long, equiv. to prō- pro- 1 + -lixus, akin to līquī to flow; see liquor

Related forms:
pro⋅lix⋅i⋅ty  [proh-lik-si-tee] , pro⋅lix⋅ness, noun
pro⋅lix⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. prolonged, protracted. See wordy. 1, 2. verbose.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To prolix
pro·lix   (prō-lĭks', prō'lĭks')   
adj.  
  1. Tediously prolonged; wordy: editing a prolix manuscript.
  2. Tending to speak or write at excessive length. See Synonyms at wordy.

[Middle English, from Old French prolixe, from Latin prōlixus, poured forth, extended.]
pro·lix'i·ty (-lĭk'sĭ-tē) n., pro·lix'ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Prolix

Pro*lix"\ (?; 277), a. [L. prolixus extended, long, prolix, probably fr. pro before, forward + liqui to flow, akin to liquidus liquid; cf. OL. lixa water: cf. F. prolixe. See Liquid.]

1. Extending to a great length; unnecessarily long; minute in narration or argument; excessively particular in detail; -- rarely used except with reference to discourse written or spoken; as, a prolix oration; a prolix poem; a prolix sermon.

With wig prolix, down flowing to his waist. --Cowper.

2. Indulging in protracted discourse; tedious; wearisome; -- applied to a speaker or writer.

Syn: Long; diffuse; prolonged; protracted; tedious; tiresome; wearisome.

Usage: Prolix, Diffuse. A prolix writer delights in circumlocution, extended detail, and trifling particulars. A diffuse writer is fond of amplifying, and abounds in epithets, figures, and illustrations. Diffuseness often arises from an exuberance of imagination; prolixity is generally connected with a want of it.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

prolix 
1412, from O.Fr. prolixe (14c.), from L. prolixus "extended," lit. "poured out," from pro- "forth" + base of liquere "to flow" (see liquid).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see prolix on Thesaurus | Reference
Prolix Cleaning Solvent
 Biodegradeable, non-petroleum based metal lubricant and cleaner
 www.rangegear.com