prose

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Ordinary speech or writing, without metrical structure.
2. n. Commonplace expression or quality.
3. n. Roman Catholic Church A hymn of irregular meter sung before the Gospel.
4. v. To write prose.
5. v. To speak or write in a dull, tiresome style.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The ordinary written or spoken language of man; language not conformed to poetical measure, as opposed to verse or metrical composition. See poetry.
2. n. Hence Commonplace ideas or discourse.
3. n. In liturgics, a hymn sung after the gradual, originating from a practice of setting words to the jubilatio of the alleluia. Such hymns were originally either in the vernacular or in rimed Latin, with rhythms depending, as in modern verse, upon the accent: hence they were called prosæ, proses, in distinction from versus, verses, this latter term being applied only to poetry written in meters depending on quantity as in the ancient classic poets. See sequence.
4. n. An oration; a story.
5. Relating to or consisting of prose; prosaic; not poetic; hence, plain; commonplace.
6. To write or compose in prose: as, a fable prosed or versified.
7. To write or compose in prose.
8. To write or speak in a dull or tedious manner.

Wiktionary

1. n. Language, particularly written language, not intended as poetry.
2. v. to write or repeat in a dull, tedious, or prosy way

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The ordinary language of men in speaking or writing; language not cast in poetical measure or rhythm; -- contradistinguished from verse, or metrical composition.
2. n. Hence, language which evinces little imagination or animation; dull and commonplace discourse.
3. n. A hymn with no regular meter, sometimes introduced into the Mass. See Sequence.
4. adj. Pertaining to, or composed of, prose; not in verse.
5. adj. Possessing or exhibiting unpoetical characteristics; plain; dull; prosaic.
6. v. To write in prose.
7. v. To write or repeat in a dull, tedious, or prosy way.
8. v. To write prose.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. matter of fact, commonplace, or dull expression
2. n. ordinary writing as distinguished from verse