Prone
/proʊn/noun
Lying flat with the face downward, or likely to do something.
Did you know?Prone comes from Latin *prōnus*, tied to the idea of leaning or being bent forward, and it shares a deep Indo-European root with words for bending and turning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*preu-
“to bend, lean, or turn forward”
Latin
Latin
prōnus
“bending forward, leaning downward; inclined”
Late Latin
Latin
prōne
“forward, downward”
Old French
Old French
prone
“inclined, leaning forward”
Middle English
English
prone
“lying face downward; inclined or disposed to”