supine

American  

[soo-pahyn, soo-pahyn] / suˈpaɪn, ˈsu paɪn /

adjective

1. lying on the back, face or front upward.

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

3. (of the hand) having the palm upward.

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noun

1. (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.”

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

3. an analogous form in some other language.

supine British  

adjective

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

2. displaying no interest or animation; lethargic

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noun

1.  sup.  grammar a noun form derived from a verb in Latin, often used to express purpose with verbs of motion

Other Word Forms

• supinely
  adverb
• supineness
  noun
• unsupine
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of supine

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

Explanation

You can be described as supine when you're lying face up — for example, your favorite yoga poses might be the supine ones. Someone who is very passive or lethargic could also be called supine — for instance, someone might be supine in the face of continuous threats and insults. The adjective supine comes from a Latin word, supinus, which means “thrown backwards” or “inactive.” Whenever a person or animal is lying on its back, belly-up, it is supine. When your hand is open, palm-up, it is also supine. Supine can even describe a person who gives insufficient resistance, or who is lazy and ineffectual. "When Jack refused to object to the landlord’s repeated — and gouging — rent increases, he was supine."

Example Sentences

As Brent Griffiths at Business Insider explains, the "approach breaks people down into five types: Melancholy, Choleric, Sanguine, Supine, and Phlegmatic."

From Salon • Nov. 1, 2023

Supine ova: How biologists order eggs sunny side up.

From Washington Post • Dec. 8, 2016

Supine and groggy, I tap an index finger on three emojis — a bike, a bath tub and a bed.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 1, 2016

In April, police arrested Brendan Fagan, a street artist who goes by the alias of Judith Supine, after he clambered up the Queensboro Bridge further up the East River at night and installed an artwork.

From Reuters • Jul. 22, 2014

Mr. Supine, whose curiosity was fully awake, called to the coachman the moment Howard was out of hearing, and tried, by various questions, to draw the secret from him.

From Tales and Novels — Volume 01 by Edgeworth, Maria