prone

¹

[ prohn ]

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.

prone

²

[ prohn ]

noun

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

prone

¹

/ prəʊn /

adjective

1. lying flat or face downwards; prostrate
2. sloping or tending downwards
3. having an inclination to do something

-prone

²

combining form

1. liable or disposed to suffer

   accident-prone

Derived Forms

• ˈpronely, adverb
• ˈproneness, noun

Other Words From

• pronely adverb
• proneness noun

Word History and Origins

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 ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of prone¹

C14: from Latin prōnus bent forward, from pro- ¹

Example Sentences

His said his feet get swollen, he is prone to headaches and getting a heavy feeling in his chest.

From Los Angeles Times

Because their method relies on a pretrained diffusion model, it inherits the biases and shortcomings of that model, making it prone to hallucinations and other failures.

From Science Daily

She’s daring us to meet her on her level too: an Aquarius prone to an internet rabbit hole.

From Los Angeles Times

Hotel and food prices have risen, and the roads have become more prone to traffic jams, they said.

From Los Angeles Times

The jury at the High Court in Edinburgh heard MacDonald was prone to angry outbursts and had a long standing anxiety about his health.

From BBC

Related Words

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