Of all the things I am proud of about myself, my vocabulary is not one of them. I’m constantly confronted by words that I don’t know, but strongly suspect that I should. When I stumble across such unfathomable verbum I usually just pick myself up and hope that no one noticed. But occasionally I reach for a dictionary in a fit of self-improvement. Today was that day, and the word was “prolixity”.

I know, dear reader. You probably learned this word in the third grade (along with its Latin roots and conjugations) and used in conversation with your mother this week. But I was forced to look it up. And when I did, something profound happened. I was deeply disappointed with the quality of the dictionary definition of this word. So disappointed, in fact, that I took the time to carefully construct what I think is a far superior definition. So without further ado, bother, or protest, I unveil now to the world my definition:

prolixity: 1) the tendency to say things in far more words than is necessary to effectively make a point or convey the essence of a thought; 2) wordiness

To all the lexicographers who read my blog, please feel free to make use of this superior definition. Credit, of course, would be appreciated.