8 results for: prolix

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

pro·lix

Audio Help [proh-liks, proh-liks] Pronunciation Key

–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

Audio Help [proh-lik-si-tee] Pronunciation Key, pro·lix·ness, noun

pro·lix·ly, adverb

—Synonyms 1. prolonged, protracted. See wordy. 1, 2. verbose.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
prolix

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

pro·lix Audio Help (prō-lĭks', prō'lĭks') Pronunciation Key
adj.

Tediously prolonged; wordy: editing a prolix manuscript.
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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
prolix

1412, from O.Fr. prolixe (14c.), from L. prolixus "extended," lit. "poured out," from pro- "forth" + base of liquere "to flow" (see liquid).

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

prolix
adjective
tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length; "editing a prolix manuscript"; "a prolix lecturer telling you more than you want to know" [ant: concise]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Prolix

Dif*fuse"\, a. [L. diffusus, p. p.] Poured out; widely spread; not restrained; copious; full; esp., of style, opposed to concise or terse; verbose; prolix; as, a diffuse style; a diffuse writer.

A diffuse and various knowledge of divine and human things. --Milton.

Syn: Prolix; verbose; wide; copious; full. See Prolix.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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 - Cite This Source - Share This

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.]

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.

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