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supineness - 2 dictionary results

su⋅pine

  [adj. soo-pahyn; n. soo-pahyn]
Use supineness in a Sentence
–adjective
1. lying on the back, face or front upward.
2. inactive, passive, or inert, esp. from indolence or indifference.
3. (of the hand) having the palm upward.
–noun
4. (in Latin) a noun form derived from verbs, appearing only in the accusative and the dative-ablative, as dictū in mirābile dictū, “wonderful to say.”
5. (in English) the simple infinitive of a verb preceded by to.
6. an analogous form in some other language.
Origin:
1490–1500; < L supīnus lying face up, inactive

Related forms:
su⋅pine⋅ly, adverb
su⋅pine⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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su·pine   (sōō-pīn', sōō'pīn')   
adj.  
  1. Lying on the back or having the face upward.
  2. Having the palm upward. Used of the hand.
  3. Marked by or showing lethargy, passivity, or blameworthy indifference. See Synonyms at inactive.
  4. Inclined; sloping.
n.   Grammar
A defective Latin verbal noun of the fourth declension, having very limited syntax and only two cases, an accusative in -tum or -sum and an ablative in -tū or -sū. The accusative form is sometimes considered to be the fourth principal part of the Latin verb.

[Middle English supin, Latin verbal noun, from Late Latin supīnum (verbum), (verb) lying on its back, (verb) going back, neuter of Latin supīnus; see upo in Indo-European roots.]
su·pine'ly adv., su·pine'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.
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