prostration
Americannoun
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the act of prostrating.
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the state of being prostrated.
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extreme mental or emotional depression or dejection.
nervous prostration.
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extreme physical weakness or exhaustion.
heat prostration.
Etymology
Origin of prostration
1520–30; < Late Latin prōstrātiōn- (stem of prōstrātiō ) a lying prone. See prostrate, -ion
Explanation
If you throw yourself at your mom's feet and beg forgiveness for breaking curfew, that's prostration. Many religious rituals include various forms of prostration, or lying face-downward in a submissive way. When a Catholic kneels to pray in church, or a Muslim bows his head to touch the ground during prayers, it's an act of prostration, or making yourself humble before a god or religious figure. In Hinduism, touching the feet of a guru (or teacher) is a sign of respect, and also a form of prostration. The source of this noun is the adjective prostrate, literally "lying face-down," from the Latin prosternere, "throw down."
Vocabulary lists containing prostration
Dracula
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"Paradise Lost" by John Milton, Book V
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Killers of the Flower Moon
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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.
The sight of Salah scoring - then kneeling down and bowing his head to the floor in an act of prostration that Muslims call Sujood - will never be forgotten.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
Americans already know such intimate prostration in smaller everyday events: between loved ones in the moments before a major surgery, before a wedding, or after a graduation.
From Slate • Jul. 22, 2024
With his thick beard, heavy-rimmed glasses and a prominent bruise on his forehead from prostration in prayer, he was notoriously prickly and pedantic.
From Washington Times • Aug. 2, 2022
Most worshippers brought their own prayer rugs and clay tablets used during prostration, said the broadcast.
From Reuters • Oct. 22, 2021
Aureliano Segundo felt a twinge of conscience when he saw Meme’s state of prostration and he promised himself to take better care of her in the future.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Definitions 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.
