Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
Definition of prone - 7 dictionary results

prone

1  [prohn]
Use prone in a Sentence
–adjective
1. having a natural inclination or tendency to something; disposed; liable: to be prone to anger.
2. having the front or ventral part downward; lying face downward.
3. lying flat; prostrate.
4. having a downward direction or slope.
5. having the palm downward, as the hand.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L prōnus turned or leaning forward, inclined downward, disposed, prone

Related forms:
pronely, adverb
proneness, noun

Synonyms:
1. apt, subject, tending. 3. recumbent.

prone

2  [prohn]
–noun
a sermon or a brief hortatory introduction to a sermon, usually delivered at a service at which the Eucharist is celebrated.
Origin:
1660–70; < F prône grill, grating (separating chancel from nave); so called because notices and addresses were delivered there
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To prone
prone   (prōn)   
adj.  
  1. Lying with the front or face downward.
  2. Having a tendency; inclined: paper that is prone to yellowing; children who are prone to mischief.
adv.  In a prone manner: The patient was lying prone on the bed.

[Middle English, inclined, disposed, from Latin prōnus, leaning forward; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
prone'ly adv., prone'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Prone

Prone\, a. [L. pronus, akin to Gr. ?, ?, Skr. pravana sloping, inclined, and also to L. pro forward, for. See Pro-.]

1. Bending forward; inclined; not erect.

Towards him they bend With awful reverence prone. --Milton.

2. Prostrate; flat; esp., lying with the face down; -- opposed to supine.

Which, as the wind, Blew where it listed, laying all things prone. --Byron.

3. Headlong; running downward or headlong. "Down thither prone in flight." --Milton.

4. Sloping, with reference to a line or surface; declivous; inclined; not level.

Since the floods demand, For their descent, a prone and sinking land. --Blackmore.

5. Inclined; propense; disposed; -- applied to the mind or affections, usually in an ill sense. Followed by to. "Prone to mischief." --Shak.

Poets are nearly all prone to melancholy. --Landor.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : prone
Spanish: boca abajo,
German: auf dem Bauch,
Japanese: うつ向けになった
More Translations »

prone 
1382, "naturally inclined to something, apt, liable," from L. pronus "bent forward, inclined to," from adverbial form of pro- "forward." Meaning "lying face-down" is first recorded 1578. Both lit. and fig. senses were in L.; fig. is older in Eng.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

Main Entry: prone
Pronunciation: 'prOn
Function: adjective
: having the front or ventral surface downward; especially : lying facedown —prone adverb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

prone (prōn)
adj.

  1. Lying with the front or face downward.
  2. Having a tendency; inclined.
adv.
In a prone manner.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see prone on Thesaurus | Reference