Prosaic
/proʊˈzeɪ.ɪk/noun
Commonplace, unimaginative, or lacking poetic beauty.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin *prosa*, meaning “straightforward prose,” ultimately tied to the idea of speech that “goes forward” in a plain line rather than rising into poetic enchantment.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to go through, forward, or beyond”
Latin
Latin
prorsus
“straight onward, directly”
Late Latin
Latin
prosa
“prose, ordinary written language”
Middle French
Old French
prosaïque
“prose-like; plain, unpoetic”
Late 16th Century
English
prosaic
“pertaining to prose; later, dull or commonplace”
Modern English
English
prosaic
“ordinary, flat, or lacking imagination”