supine

[ adjective soo-pahyn; noun soo-pahyn ]

/ adjective suˈpaɪn; noun ˈsu paɪn /

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See synonyms for: supine / supineness on Thesaurus.com

Definition of supine

adjective

lying on the back, face or front upward.

inactive, passive, or inert, especially from indolence or indifference.

(of the hand) having the palm upward.

noun

(in Latin) a noun form derived from verbs, appearing only in the accusative and the dative-ablative, as dictū in mirābile dictū, “wonderful to say.”

(in English) the simple infinitive of a verb preceded by to.

an analogous form in some other language.

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Origin of supine

First recorded in 1490–1500, supine is from the Latin word supīnus lying face up, inactive

OTHER WORDS FROM supine

su·pine·ly, adverbsu·pine·ness, nounun·su·pine, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH supine

prone, prostate, prostrate, supine

Words nearby supine

superweed, superwoman, supinate, supination, supinator, supine, suplex, supp., suppawn, Suppé, suppedaneum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use supine in a sentence

Finally, 17 days after my symptoms first appeared, I dusted off a navy blue yoga mat, a pair of resistance bands, and lay down, supine and cautious.
The long road back to fitness after COVID|Urmi Bhattacheryya|January 29, 2022|Popular-Science
As an assistant director shouted out instructions in Hindi and English, Kashyap had a word with his lead actress, who was lying supine on a bed in a blue hospital gown.
Netflix v Modi and the battle for Indian cinema’s soul|Konstantin Kakaes|March 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Metz tells the story of how this unlikely entrepreneur, traveling supine in buses and trains, engineered a bidding war for a company that had no product or employees and was finally sold to Google for $44 million.
The minds behind artificial intelligence, and the bidding war for them|Craig Smith|March 19, 2021|Washington Post
In effect, an overreaching administration and a supine FISC are ginning up a secret constitution.
The Secret FISA Court Must Go|Jennifer Granick, Christopher Sprigman|July 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST

On closer examination, this is not the hand of a supine victim.
The Crime of Kufr Qaddoum: An EmergencyStandWithDavidMonitor Animal Rights Division Expose|Eli Valley|March 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A fur seal stands upright on his fore flippers, a hair seal lies supine.
The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries|Francis Rolt-Wheeler
The supine position, as in the adult, is imposed only at night.
Stories in Light and Shadow|Bret Harte
She sat back in her chair, gazing up the darkening river, her hands lying supine on her knees.
The Red City|S. Weir Mitchell
A burst of criticism followed from England; press and politicians joined in denouncing the blind and supine colonials.
The Canadian Dominion|Oscar D. Skelton
Unfortunately, the supine ignorance of the fair sex in Sarrio made these ingenious modes of communication null and void.
The Fourth Estate, vol.1|Armando Palacio Valds

British Dictionary definitions for supine

supine

adjective (suːˈpaɪn, sjuː-, ˈsuːpaɪn, ˈsjuː-)

lying or resting on the back with the face, palm, etc, upwards

displaying no interest or animation; lethargic

noun (ˈsuːpaɪn, ˈsjuː-)

grammar a noun form derived from a verb in Latin, often used to express purpose with verbs of motionAbbreviation: sup

Derived forms of supine

supinely, adverbsupineness, noun

Word Origin for supine

C15: from Latin supīnus related to sub under, up; (in grammatical sense) from Latin verbum supīnum supine word (the reason for this use is unknown)

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

supine

Definition of supine

Origin of supine

OTHER WORDS FROM supine

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH supine

Words nearby supine

Words related to supine

How to use supine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for supine

Derived forms of supine

Word Origin for supine