THE FIRST WORD

prosaic

PRONUNCIATION:

(pro-ZAY-ik) 

MEANING:

adjective:
1. Dull; unimaginative.
2. Everyday; straightforward; ordinary.
3. Having the character of prose as compared to the feeling of poetry.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin prosa (prose), from prosa oratio (straightforward speech), from provertere (to turn forward). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wer- (to turn or bend), also the source of wring, weird, writhe, revert, universe, wroth, verso , conversazione, versicolor, and animadvert. Earliest documented use: 1589.

USAGE:

"On a throne ornate to the point of gaudiness, the queen reads out the legislative agenda of 'her' government, written on goatskin vellum. The content of that speech is usually more prosaic."
Britain: The Vision Thing; The Economist (London, UK); Nov 10, 2007.