prone
/pɹoʊn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.93 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of the hand, forearm or foot: turned facing away from the body; with the thumb inward or big toe downward.
adj
Having a downward inclination or slope.
adj
Shooting from a position while lying down.
adj
Predisposed, liable, inclined, given (to something) (most often, specifically to being befallen by an unsought bad outcome, rather than to undertaking a willful behavior or to having a happy accident).
verb
To place in a prone position, to place face down.
name
Alternative form of Prome (“the city of Pyay”).
Example Sentences
- "prone position"
- "But they had already discovered that he could be bullied, and they had it their own way; and presently Selwyn lay prone upon the nursery floor, impersonating a ladrone while pleasant shivers chased themselves over Drina, whom he was stalking."
- "The hand is in the prone position typically when using a keyboard; and the forearm is then also in the prone position; when the foot is resting on the inner side of the sole, it is in the prone position."
- "prone to failure"
- "Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted; / Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone, / Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited / To any sensual feast with thee alone: […]"
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: prone, prōnus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pɹoʊn/
- British English: /pɹəʊn/
Inflected Forms
proner (comparative)
more prone (comparative)
pronest (superlative)
most prone (superlative)
prones (present, singular)
proning (participle, present)
proned (participle, past)
proned (past)