PROLIX

Use this forum to discuss past Good Words.
User avatar
Dr. Goodword
Site Admin
Posts: 7417
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:28 am
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Contact:

PROLIX

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:13 pm

• prolix •

Pronunciation: pro-liks • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: Tediously verbose, tendentiously long-winded, excessively overwritten because it is far, far, far too wordy and utilizes far more wordage than is requisite to say what is meant, like a definition that could be expressed in two words but rambles on and on in an almost interminable orgy of boring verbiage.

Notes: Today's Good Word is an odd little adjective that looks more like a noun. It has none of the adjective suffixes (-ive, -ate, -able) we have come to expect of adjectives borrowed from Latin. The adverb for this fair word is simply prolixly but the noun requires an accent change: prolixity. It disdains intensifiers like terribly, very, and too since its meaning already implies excess.

In Play: A prolix text may be grammatically and stylistically perfect, not garbled in any way, just written in too many words: "We overlooked an important task because it was lost in one of the boss's prolix memos that no one has time to finish reading." The best place to look for prolixity is at a university: "Well, Marjorie, when your three-page homework paper runs out to six pages, you should suspect that it is a bit prolix."

Word History: This Good Word comes from Latin prolixus "stretched out, extended" based on the prefix pro- "forward" + liquere "flow". This verb also underlies Latin liquidus "flowing, fluid" and liqour "fluidity". We adopted the former without much change in meaning but the second has a significantly different meaning in English. There is reason to suspect that the root of these words, likw-, is also behind laxus [lak-sus] "wide, open, roomy", found in the English borrowings lax, relax, and laxative. For sure it comes from the same PIE root as Sanskrit riktas "empty," and Greek leipo "leave, quit". (Without being lax or prolix, let's thank Joyce B. Rhode for bringing this strange but quite useful little word to our attention.)
• The Good Dr. Goodword

scw1217
Lexiterian
Posts: 259
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2005 7:50 am
Location: Florida, USA
Contact:

Postby scw1217 » Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:21 pm

LOL @ the definition of this one good Dr. It does put in mind of a certain relative of mine that simply put never knows when to shut up...
Suzanne D. Williams, Author
http://www.feelgoodromance.com


Return to “Good Word Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 51 guests