prostrate

[ pros-treyt ]

/ ˈprɒs treɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prostrate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), pros·trat·ed, pros·trat·ing.

to cast (oneself) face down on the ground in humility, submission, or adoration.

to lay flat, as on the ground.

to throw down level with the ground.

to overthrow, overcome, or reduce to helplessness.

to reduce to physical weakness or exhaustion.

adjective

lying flat or at full length, as on the ground.

lying face down on the ground, as in token of humility, submission, or adoration.

overthrown, overcome, or helpless: a country left prostrate by natural disasters.

physically weak or exhausted.

submissive.

utterly dejected or depressed; disconsolate.

Botany. (of a plant or stem) lying flat on the ground.

Nearby words

prostitute, prostitution, prostomiate, prostomium, prostoon, prostrate, prostration, prostrative, prostyle, prosumer, prosy

Origin of prostrate

1350–1400; (adj.) Middle English prostrat < Latin prōstrātus, past participle of prōsternere to throw prone, equivalent to prō- pro-¹ + strā-, variant stem of sternere to stretch out + -tus past participle suffix; (v.) Middle English prostraten, derivative of the adj.

SYNONYMS FOR prostrate

6 prone, supine, recumbent.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prostrate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formspros·tra·tive

[pros-truh-tiv] /ˈprɒs trə tɪv/, adjectivepros·tra·tor, nounun·pros·trat·ed, adjective

Can be confusedprone prostate prostrate supineprostate prostrate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for prostrate

Prostrate and helpless under the paw of the lion is a monkey with the face of Grady.
The History of the Nineteenth Century in Caricature|Arthur Bartlett Maurice
Prostrate before the King, he seemingly lived but for his smile.
Told on the Pagoda|Mimosa
Prostrate between two rocks lying across the path, her wild flight came to an end.
The Gilded Man|Clifford Smyth
Prostrate upon my knees I daily prayed for deliverance; but my prayers were not heard.
Letters from Spain|Joseph Blanco White

Prostrate she lay on the bodies of an old man and old woman, who had been put to death without mercy by the miscreants.
Bakemono Yashiki (The Haunted House)|James S. De Benneville

British Dictionary definitions for prostrate

prostrate

adjective (ˈprɒstreɪt)

lying with the face downwards, as in submission

exhausted physically or emotionally

helpless or defenceless

(of a plant) growing closely along the ground

verb (prɒˈstreɪt) (tr)

to bow or cast (oneself) down, as in submission

to lay or throw down flat, as on the ground

to make helpless or defenceless

to make exhausted

Derived Formsprostration, noun

Word Origin for prostrate

C14: from Latin prōsternere to throw to the ground, from prō- before + sternere to lay low

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for prostrate (1 of 2)

prostrate

adj.

mid-14c., "lying face-down" (in submission, worship, etc.), from Latin prostratus, past participle of prosternere "strew in front, throw down," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + sternere "to spread out," from PIE root *stere- "to spread, extend, stretch out" (see structure (n.)). Figurative use from 1590s. General sense of "laid out, knocked flat" is from 1670s.

Word Origin and History for prostrate (1 of 2)

prostrate

early 15c., prostraten, "prostrate oneself," from prostrate (adj.). Related: Prostrated; prostrating.

Science definitions for prostrate

prostrate

[ prŏs′trāt′ ]

Growing flat along the ground. Creeping jenny, pennyroyal, and many species of ivy have a prostrate growth habit.

prostrate

verb (used with object), pros·trat·ed, pros·trat·ing.

adjective

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Origin of prostrate

Examples from the Web for prostrate

British Dictionary definitions for prostrate

prostrate

adjective (ˈprɒstreɪt)

verb (prɒˈstreɪt) (tr)

Word Origin for prostrate

Word Origin and History for prostrate (1 of 2)

prostrate

Word Origin and History for prostrate (1 of 2)

prostrate

Science definitions for prostrate

prostrate