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Webster 1913 Edition

Prostration

Pros-tra′tion

,
Noun.
[L.
prostratio
: cf. F.
prostration
.]
1.
The act of prostrating, throwing down, or laying fiat;
as, the
prostration
of the body
.
2.
The act of falling down, or of bowing in humility or adoration; primarily, the act of falling on the face, but usually applied to kneeling or bowing in reverence and worship.
A greater
prostration
of reason than of body.
Shakespeare
3.
The condition of being prostrate; great depression; lowness; dejection;
as, a
postration
of spirits
.
“A sudden prostration of strength.”
Arbuthnot.
4.
(Med.)
A latent, not an exhausted, state of the vital energies; great oppression of natural strength and vigor.
☞ Prostration, in its medical use, is analogous to the state of a spring lying under such a weight that it is incapable of action; while exhaustion is analogous to the state of a spring deprived of its elastic powers. The word, however, is often used to denote any great depression of the vital powers.

Webster 1828 Edition

Prostration

PROSTRA'TION

,
Noun.
The act of throwing down or laying flat; as the prostration of the body, of trees or of corn.
1.
The act of falling down, or the act of bowing in humility or adoration; primarily, the act of falling on the face, but it is now used for kneeling or bowing in reverence and worship.
2.
Great depression; dejection; as a prostration of spirits.
3.
Great loss of natural strength and vigor; that state of the body in disease in which the system is passive and requires powerful stimulants to excite it into action.

Definition 2024

prostration

prostration

English

Noun

prostration ‎(plural prostrations)

  1. The act or condition of prostrating (lying flat) oneself, as a sign of humility.
  2. 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
  3. Being laid face down (prone).
  4. The condition of being prostrated, as from heat.
  5. A reverential bow performed in Middle Eastern cultures.
Usage notes
  • Outside of ordination, prostration as a sign of humility has never been part of the Western tradition, but was present in the Middle-Eastern and Asian traditions.
Derived terms
  • heat prostration
  • nervous prostration
Synonyms

Etymology

From Latin prostratus.

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