prolix Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length
    • editing a prolix manuscript
    • a prolix lecturer telling you more than you want to know

WordNet

Pro*lix" adjective
Etymology
L. prolixus extended, long, prolix, probably fr. pro before, forward + liqui to flow, akin to liquidus liquid; cf. OL. lixa water: cf. F. prolixe. See Liquid.
Definitions
  1. Extending to a great length; unnecessarily long; minute in narration or argument; excessively particular in detail; -- rarely used except with reference to discourse written or spoken; as, a prolix oration; a prolix poem; a prolix sermon.
    With wig prolix, down flowing to his waist. Cowper.
  2. Indulging in protracted discourse; tedious; wearisome; -- applied to a speaker or writer. Syn. -- Long; diffuse; prolonged; protracted; tedious; tiresome; wearisome. -- Prolix, Diffuse. A prolix writer delights in circumlocution, extended detail, and trifling particulars. A diffuse writer is fond of amplifying, and abounds in epithets, figures, and illustrations. Diffuseness often arises from an exuberance of imagination; prolixity is generally connected with a want of it.

Webster 1913