prostrate

See also: prostate

English

Etymology

Latin prōstrātus, past participle of prōsternere (“to prostrate”).

(deprecated template usage)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒstɹeɪt/
• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑstɹeɪt/
• Hyphenation: pros‧trate

Adjective

prostrate (not comparable)

1. Lying flat, face-down.

   Synonym: prone

   Antonym: supine

   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Prostrate fall / Before him reverent, and there confess / Humbly our faults.

   • 1945, Sir Winston Churchill, VE Day speech from House of Commons:

     Finally almost the whole world was combined against the evil-doers, who are now prostrate before us.

2. (figuratively) Emotionally devastated.
3. Physically incapacitated from environmental exposure or debilitating disease.

   He was prostrate from the extreme heat.

4. (botany) Trailing on the ground; procumbent.

Translations

lying flat, facedown

• Greek: πρηνής (el) m or f (prinís)
• Maori: taitakoto, tāpapa
• Norwegian: prostrert
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: распростёртый (ru) (rasprostjórtyj), лежа́щий ничко́м (ležáščij ničkóm)
• Spanish: postrado (es), acostado boca abajo
• Welsh: ar eich hyd, ar eich gorwedd

Verb

2. (often reflexive) To lie flat or face-down.
3. (also figurative) To throw oneself down in submission.
4. To cause to lie down, to flatten.
   • 1835, William Gilmore Simms, The Partisan, Harper, Chapter XIV, page 175:

     How many of these mighty pines were to be prostrated under that approaching tempest!

5. (figuratively) To overcome or overpower.
   • 1936, Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind

     Why this very minute she's prostrated with grief.

Usage notes

• Prostrate and prostate are often confused, in spelling if not in meaning.

Related terms

• prostration

Translations

to lie flat or face-down

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 趴 (zh) (pā), 平臥／平卧 (zh) (píngwò), 平卧 (zh) (píngwò)

• Dutch: prosterneren
• Finnish: maata pitkällään (flat), maata kasvoillaan (facedown), maata vatsallaan
• French: prosterner (fr)
• Greek: κείτομαι μπρούμυτα (keítomai broúmyta), μπρουμυτίζω (broumytízo)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: bersujud (id)
• Japanese: 平伏す (ひれふす, hirefusu)
• Malay: telangkup
• Maori: taitakoto, tukupapa, tāpapa
• Norwegian: prostrere
• Portuguese: prostrar (pt)
• Russian: лежа́ть ничко́м impf (ležátʹ ničkóm)

to throw oneself down in submission

• Arabic: سَجَدَ (ar) (sajada)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 匍匐 (zh) (púfú), 伏地 (zh) (fúdì)

• Dutch: teraarde werpen
• Finnish: heittäytyä maahan
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: πέφτω μπρούμυτα (péfto broúmyta), μπρουμυτίζω (broumytízo)

  Ancient Greek: προσκυνέω (proskunéō)

• Malay: bersujud
• Portuguese: prostrar-se
• Russian: па́дать ниц impf (pádatʹ nic), пасть ниц pf (pastʹ nic)

to cause to lie down

• Finnish: kaataa (fi), kumota (fi)
• Greek: υποκλίνομαι (el) (ypoklínomai), προσκυνώ (el) (proskynó)
• Irish:

  Old Irish: fo·álgi

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: prostrar (pt)
• Russian: поверга́ть ниц impf (povergátʹ nic), пове́ргнуть ниц pf (povérgnutʹ nic)

See also

• kowtow

Anagrams

• Perrottas

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Italian

Verb

prostrate

1. second-person plural present indicative of prostrare
2. second-person plural imperative of prostrare
3. feminine plural of prostrato

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Latin

Participle

(deprecated template usage) prōstrāte

1. vocative masculine singular of prōstrātus