Decumbent

//dɪˈkʌmbənt// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Lying down; reclining on the ground. not-comparable
  2. 2
    Of a plant, which lies on the ground with tips turned upwards. not-comparable
Adjective
  1. 1
    lying down; in a position of comfort or rest wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
accumbentaccumbentcouchantcrawlingflatgroveling

Example

More examples

"According to an anecdote, a Hungarian ornithologist was invited to give a lecture on his field in East Germany, and a Hungarian student who studied there was asked to interpret. The lecture started, the first picture was shown, with the following words: "This is a hoopoe with perching legs and a double-feathered crest that can be made erect or decumbent.” The explanation was followed by an awkward silence and after long, painful minutes, the interpreter started to speak: “Vogel!” (bird)."

Etymology

From the present participle of Latin dēcumbō.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.