Word of the Day

: December 2, 2008

prolix

adjective proh-LIKS

What It Means

1 : unduly prolonged or drawn out : too long

2 : marked by or using an excess of words

prolix in Context

Legal writing is not always prolix; after all, the word “brief” refers to a legal document, and most judges demand that briefs be brief.

Did You Know?

There's no way to talk about "prolix" without being redundant, verbose, and wordy. That's because the word is a synonym of all of those long-winded terms. Of those words, "prolix” is the one most likely to suggest unreasonable and tedious dwelling on details. It derives from “prolixus,” a Latin term meaning "extended" or "copious." “Prolixus" originated from a combination of the prefix “pro-” (which means "forward") and the past participle of “liquēre,” a verb meaning "to be fluid." True to that history, something that is prolix flows on and on.