prostrate
/ˈpɹɑstɹeɪt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.68 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
adj
adj
Physically incapacitated from environmental exposure or debilitating disease.
adj
verb
To throw oneself down in submission.
Example Sentences
- "Prostrate fall / Before him reverent, and there confess / Humbly our faults."
- "Finally almost the whole world was combined against the evil-doers, who are now prostrate before us."
- "He was prostrate from the extreme heat."
- "Those who had the privilege of approaching him, had to prostrate themselves before him in profound humility[…]"
- "But I take the view that the statue is a cheap and cynical stunt by ministers with scant knowledge of history, whose only interest lies in greasing up to modern Indian politicians. With little or no dignity, they shamelessly prostrate themselves in the most craven way."
- "How many of these mighty pines were to be prostrated under that approaching tempest!"
Etymology
From Middle English prostrat(e) (“prostrate”, also used as the past participle of prostraten), borrowed from Latin prōstrātus, perfect passive participle of prōsternō (“to prostrate”). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: prostrat, prōstrātus, *sterh₃-, prostraten
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpɹɑstɹeɪt/
- British English: /ˈpɹɒstɹeɪt/