prostate
Americanadjective
noun
-
prostates
plural
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of prostate
First recorded in 1640–50; from New Latin prostata, from Greek prostátēs “one standing before”; equivalent to pro- 2 + -stat
Explanation
The prostate gland is part of a man's reproductive system; it's located near his bladder and is about the size of a kiwi fruit. Prostate cancer, which is fairly common in men, is usually treatable if it is detected early. The prostate is a gland found in most male mammals. The root word is the Greek prostates, which literally means one who stands before, or protector, guardian — which describes the prostate's position in front of the bladder. Don't confuse prostate, the part of male anatomy, with prostrate a verb that describes lying down.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A defence barrister also outlined that Corrigan had already spent 10 months in jail and that he suffered from ill health, including prostate cancer.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
One of Draper’s early investments was in Hybritech, which invented a PSA test for prostate cancer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Wells, the guitarist, died of prostate cancer in 2006 at age 59.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
It’s not being pitched as a replacement for common cancer screening methods, like mammograms for breast cancer or PSA blood tests for prostate cancer.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Ruth has diabetes, and Peter has prostate trouble.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
That happens about 5 percent to 10 percent of the time, Dr. Bryer estimated, although one study reported that prostate cancers were found 26 percent of the time when men were treated for enlarged prostates.
From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
King Charles had made his health problem public as a way of sending a message to other men to get their prostates checked.
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2024
Men who live long enough will likely get prostate cancer; 70 percent of those over 70 years old have some cancerous cells in their prostates even if they haven’t been diagnosed.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 23, 2024
The publicity around the king’s surgery is seen as an opportunity to encourage other men to have their prostates checked in line with public health advice.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 18, 2024
The Question of Operation.—In recent years there has been a tendency to suggest operation even on comparatively small prostates when symptoms referable to them are noted.
From Psychotherapy by James J. (James Joseph) Walsh
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
