prostration

English

prostration (countable and uncountable, plural prostrations)

The act or condition of prostrating oneself (lying face-down), as a sign of humility.
A part of the ordination of Catholic and Orthodox priests, in which the ordinand lies prostrate in a gesture of submission to the will of God.
The ordination ceremony includes a variety of rituals, rich in meaning and history, e.g., the prostration, laying on of hands, anointing of hands, giving of the chalice and paten, and sign of peace. — Diocese of Rochester, NY
The state of lying face down (prone).
The condition of being prostrated, as from heat; complete loss of strength.
- 1886 January 5, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case”, in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 135:
  I slept after the prostration of the day, with a stringent and profound slumber which not even the nightmares that wrung me could avail to break.
A reverential bow performed in Middle Eastern cultures.
Synonym: sujud
- 2018 March 1, Tusdiq Din, “Mohamed Salah: Is Liverpool Striker’s Success Improving Engagement with Muslim Fans?”, in BBC Sport‎^[1], archived from the original on 22 November 2025:
  Their faith can be seen in their mannerisms on the pitch – cupping hands in silent pre-kick-off prayer or prostration after hitting the back of the net.