PROLIX

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”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

prolix (comparative more prolix, superlative most prolix)

Tediously lengthy; dwelling on trivial details.

Synonyms: verbose, Thesaurus:verbose

Antonym: Thesaurus:concise

(obsolete) Long; having great length.

Source: Wiktionary


Pro*lix", a. Etym: [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.

– 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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

27 May 2025

DIRECTIONALITY

(noun) the property of being directional or maintaining a direction; “the directionality of written English is from left to right”


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Coffee Trivia

The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

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