prostration
English edit
Etymology edit
Latin prōstrātiō, from prōstrātus, past participle of prōsternō.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
prostration (countable and uncountable, plural prostrations)
- The act or condition of prostrating oneself (lying flat), as a sign of humility.
- A part of the ordination of Catholic and Orthodox priests.
- 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
- Being laid face down (prone).
- The condition of being prostrated, as from heat; complete loss of strength.
- 1886 January 5, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case”, in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 135:
- 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.
- A reverential bow performed in Middle Eastern cultures.
- Synonym: sujud
- 2018 March 1, Tusdiq Din, “Mohamed Salah: Is Liverpool Striker’s Success Improving Engagement with Muslim Fans?”, in BBC Sport[1]:
- 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.
Derived terms edit
Anagrams edit
French edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
prostration f (plural prostrations)
Further reading edit
- “prostration”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.