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

Other Word Forms

• pronely adverb
• proneness 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

Two months later, signs appeared stating rowing through another nearby underpass prone to flooding was prohibited.

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A summer dry season makes the hills east of California’s coastal cities prone to devastating wildfires, while the Central Valley hosts some of the world’s most productive farmland.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Professionals may be just as prone to fee blindness.

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For every Holmes, there are entrepreneurs prone to stretching the truth who are celebrated instead of sitting in prison.

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He advises students and job seekers to focus on trends instead of fixating on raw numbers that are prone to revisions.

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Related Words

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