prone

¹ American  

[prohn] / proʊn /

adjective

1. having a natural inclination or tendency to something; disposed; liable.

   to be prone to anger.

   Synonyms:

   subject, apt

2. having the front or ventral part downward; lying face downward.

3. lying flat; prostrate.

   Synonyms:

   recumbent

4. having a downward direction or slope.

5. having the palm downward, as the hand.

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prone ² American  

[prohn] / proʊn /

noun

1. a sermon or a brief hortatory introduction to a sermon, usually delivered at a service at which the Eucharist is celebrated.

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prone ¹ British  

/ prəʊn /

adjective

1. lying flat or face downwards; prostrate

2. sloping or tending downwards

3. having an inclination to do something

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-prone ² British  

combining form

1. liable or disposed to suffer

   accident-prone

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Other Word Forms

• pronely adverb
• proneness noun

Etymology

Origin of prone¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin prōnus “turned or leaning forward, inclined downward, disposed,” adverb based on prō pro ¹ ( def. )

Origin of prone²

First recorded in 1660–70; from French prône “grill, grating (separating chancel from nave),” so called because notices and addresses were delivered there, from Old French prodne, prorne, prosne, by way of a Medieval Latin or Late Latin intermediary such as protinum (unrecorded) from Latin prothyrum “foyer, porch, vestibule,” from Greek próthyron, from pró pro- ² ( def. ) + thýra “door” ( door ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

The slope is steep and underlain by weak, heavily fractured bedrock, making it prone to failure.

From Science Daily

And so far the winter has been milder which means the sprout plants are more prone to disease, he says.

From BBC

Although AI systems are still prone to falsely identifying problems, that development has some concerned that, without new tools, network defenders might now be put at a disadvantage.

From The Wall Street Journal

We all become more prone to isolation as we get older, and census data suggests that the median age of Hebron residents is over 45, and the town has many seniors.

From Salon

Jill Anderson, the utility’s chief operating officer, told regulators at an August meeting that the company replaced components prone to failure on a certain transmission line after Jan. 7.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• apt
• devoted
• exposed
• inclined
• ready
• sensitive
• susceptible
• willing