Adjacent Words

Prostrate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PROS'TRATE, a. [L. prostratus, from prosterno, to lay flat; pro and sterno.]
1. Lying at length, or with the body extended on the ground or other surface.
Groveling and prostrate on yon lake of fire.
2. Lying at mercy, as a supplicant.
3. Lying in the posture of humility of adoration.
PROS'TRATE, v.t. To lay flat; to throw down; as, to prostrate the body; to prostrate trees or plants.
1. To throw down; to overthrow; to demolish; to ruin; as, to prostrate a village; to prostrate a government; to prostrate law or justice; to prostrate the honor of a nation.
2. To prostrate one's self, to throw one's self down or to fall in humility or adoration.
3. To bow in humble reverence.
4. To sink totally; to reduce; as, to prostrate strength.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: stretched out and lying at full length along the ground; "found himself lying flat on the floor" [syn: flat, prostrate]
2: lying face downward [syn: prone, prostrate] v
1: get into a prostrate position, as in submission [syn: prostrate, bow down]
2: render helpless or defenseless; "They prostrated the enemy"
3: throw down flat, as on the ground; "She prostrated herself with frustration"

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English prostrat, from Anglo-French, from Latin prostratus, past participle of prosternere, from pro- before + sternere to spread out, throw down — more at strew Date: 14th century 1. stretched out with face on the ground in adoration or submission; also lying flat 2. completely overcome and lacking vitality, will, or power to rise <was prostrate from the heat> 3. trailing on the ground ; procumbent <prostrate shrubs> Synonyms: see prone II. transitive verb (prostrated; prostrating) Date: 15th century 1. to throw or put into a prostrate position 2. to put (oneself) in a humble and submissive posture or state <the whole town had to prostrate itself in official apology — Claudia Cassidy> 3. to reduce to submission, helplessness, or exhaustion <was prostrated with grief>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & v. --adj. 1 a lying face downwards, esp. in submission. b lying horizontally. 2 overcome, esp. by grief, exhaustion, etc. (prostrate with self-pity). 3 Bot. growing along the ground. --v.tr. 1 lay (a person etc.) flat on the ground. 2 (refl.) throw (oneself) down in submission etc. 3 (of fatigue, illness, etc.) overcome; reduce to extreme physical weakness. Derivatives: prostration n. Etymology: ME f. L prostratus past part. of prosternere (as PRO-(1), sternere strat- lay flat)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Prostrate Pros"trate, a. [L. prostratus, p. p. of prosternere to prostrate; pro before, forward + sternere to spread out, throw down. See Stratum.] 1. Lying at length, or with the body extended on the ground or other surface; stretched out; as, to sleep prostrate. --Elyot. Groveling and prostrate on yon lake of fire. --Milton. 2. Lying at mercy, as a supplicant. --Dryden. 3. Lying in a humble, lowly, or suppliant posture. Prostrate fall Before him reverent, and there confess Humbly our faults. --Milton. 4. (Bot.) Trailing on the ground; procumbent.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Prostrate Pros"trate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prostrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Prostrating.] 1. To lay fiat; to throw down; to level; to fell; as, to prostrate the body; to prostrate trees or plants. --Evelyn. 2. to overthrow; to demolish; to destroy; to deprive of efficiency; to ruin; as, to prostrate a village; to prostrate a government; to prostrate law or justice. 3. To throw down, or cause to fall in humility or adoration; to cause to bow in humble reverence; used reflexively; as, he prostrated himself. --Milman. 4. To cause to sink totally; to deprive of strength; to reduce; as, a person prostrated by fever.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(prostrating, prostrated) 1. If you prostrate yourself, you lie down flat on the ground, on your front, usually to show respect for God or a person in authority. They prostrated themselves before their king. VERB: V pron-refl 2. If you are lying prostrate, you are lying flat on the ground, on your front. Percy was lying prostrate, his arms outstretched and his eyes closed. ADJ: ADJ after v 3. If someone is prostrate, they are so distressed or affected by a very bad experience that they are unable to do anything at all. (FORMAL) I was prostrate with grief. = devastated ADJ: oft ADJ with n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Prostrated, prone, stretched out, flat, fallen. 2. (Bot.) Procumbent. II. v. a. 1. Overthrow, overturn, level, fell, demolish, destroy, ruin, throw down, lay flat. 2. Exhaust, reduce, overcome, depress, bringlow.

Moby Thesaurus

abject, accumbent, adorant, adoring, afflict, aggrieve, all in, anguish, backscratching, beat, beat down, beat up, beaten, bedfast, bedridden, beggarly, bend, blow down, blow over, bone-weary, bootlicking, bow and scrape, bow down, bowl down, bowl over, break, break down, bring down, bring low, bring to tears, broken, broken-down, brokenhearted, brought down, brought low, bulldog, bulldoze, burn down, burn out, bushed, cast down, chop down, confined, conquer, conquered, couch, couchant, couche, cowering, crawl, crawling, cringe, cringing, crippled, crouched, crouching, crush, crushed, cut down, cut up, dash, dash down, dashed, dead, dead-and-alive, dead-tired, deadbeat, debased, debilitate, deck, decumbent, deferential, deflate, demoralize, demoralized, depressed, desolate, desolated, devotional, devout, disabled, disarm, disarmed, disqualified, do in, do up, dog-tired, dog-weary, done, done in, done up, down, downcast, downthrown, drained, draped, draw tears, drop, embitter, enchain, enervate, exhaust, exhausted, fag, fag out, fagged out, fallen, fatigue, fatigued, fawning, fell, felled, fetch down, flag, flat, flatten, flattened, flattering, floor, floored, footlicking, frazzle, gag, gone, grieve, ground, grovel, groveling, hamstring, hamstrung, handcuff, hangdog, harass, heart-stricken, heart-struck, heartbroken, helpless, hew down, hobble, hog-tie, hog-tied, horizontal, hospitalized, hot, humble, humbled, imploring, impotent, in childbed, in hospital, in the dust, incapacitated, ingratiating, inundate, inundated, invalidated, invalided, jade, knee-high, kneel, knock down, knock out, knock over, knock up, knocked flat, knocked out, kowtow, laid low, laid up, lay level, lay low, lay out, level, lie down, lolling, lounging, low, low-built, low-hung, low-level, low-leveled, low-lying, low-set, low-statured, lowered, lying, lying down, manacle, master, mastered, mealymouthed, mow down, muzzle, neap, neurasthenic, obeisant, obsequious, on bended knee, oppress, overcome, overfatigue, overpower, overpowered, override, overstrain, overtire, overweary, overwhelm, overwhelmed, paralyze, paralyzed, parasitic, played out, poop, poop out, pooped, pooped out, powerless, prayerful, precative, precatory, precipitate, procumbent, prone, prostrate before, prostrated, psych out, pull down, put down, quell, quelled, rase, raze, ready to drop, recline, reclining, recumbent, reduce, reduced, reduced to jelly, reposing, resupine, reverent, reverential, ride down, ruin, ruined, runty, send headlong, servile, shake, shaken, short, shot to pieces, sick abed, silence, smash, smashed, sniveling, solemn, sorrow, spent, sponging, sprawled, sprawling, spread, spread-eagle, squat, squatty, steamroller, stooped, strangle, stretched out, stricken, stumpy, subdue, subdued, subjugate, subjugated, submerged, submissive, submit, subservient, sunk, sunken, supinate, supine, suppliant, supplicant, supplicatory, suppress, suppressed, sycophantic, take down, tear down, throttle, throw, throw down, timeserving, tire, tire out, tire to death, tired out, tired to death, toadeating, toadying, toadyish, topple, torment, trample down, trample underfoot, tread underfoot, trip, truckle, truckling, truss up, tucker, tuckered out, tumble, unbrace, undo, undone, unelevated, unglued, unman, unmanned, unnerve, unnerved, unstring, unstrung, upset, use up, used up, vanquish, vanquished, venerational, venerative, washed-up, weaken, wear, wear down, wear on, wear out, wearied, weary, weary unto death, whack down, whacked, wilt, wind, wiped out, worn out, worn-out, worshipful, worshiping