Prostration
/prɒˈstreɪ.ʃən/noun
The act of lying flat on the ground, especially as a sign of submission, reverence, or exhaustion.
Did you know?Its Latin ancestor, *prosternere*, meant “to throw down or lay flat,” and that same root helped shape words tied to collapse, defeat, and being brought low.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ster-
“to spread, stretch, or lay out”
Latin
Latin
prosternere
“to throw down, lay flat, or prostrate”
Late Latin
Latin
prostratio
“a laying low; overthrow; physical prostration”
Old French
Old French
prostracion
“the act of prostrating oneself”
Middle English
English
prostracioun
“the act of lying flat in humility, worship, or defeat”
Modern English
English
prostration
“the condition or act of lying flat, especially from submission or extreme fatigue”