Prostration
name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 The act or condition of prostrating oneself (lying face-down), as a sign of humility. countable, uncountable
- 2 the act of assuming a prostrate position wordnet
- 3 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. countable, uncountable
"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"
- 4 abject submission; the emotional equivalent of prostrating your body wordnet
- 5 The state of lying face down (prone). countable, uncountable
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- 6 an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion wordnet
- 7 The condition of being prostrated, as from heat; complete loss of strength. countable, uncountable
"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."
- 8 A reverential bow performed in Middle Eastern cultures. countable, uncountable
"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."
- 1 The 32nd sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
Example
More examples"Even the knowledge that he had succeeded where the police of three countries had failed, and that he had outmanoeuvred at every point the most accomplished swindler in Europe, was insufficient to rouse him from his nervous prostration."
Etymology
From Latin prōstrātiō, from prōstrātus, past participle of prōsternō.
Related phrases
More for "prostration"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.