supine
pronunciation
How to pronounce supine in British English:
UK [ˈsu:paɪn]
How to pronounce supine in American English:
US [sjuˈpaɪn, ˈsjuˌpaɪn]
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- Adjective:
- lying face upward
- offering no resistance
Word Origin
- supine
- supine: [15] Supine means literally ‘lying on one’s back’. It comes from Latin supīnus. This was derived from a prehistoric base *sup- ‘up’ which also produced Latin super ‘above, over’ (and summus, source of English sum), so the word’s etymological meaning is presumably ‘with the front of one’s body upwards’. The metaphorical sense ‘inactive’ evolved in Latin. The origins of the use of supine as a noun, to designate a type of ‘verbal noun’, are not known.
- supine (adj.)
- c. 1500, "lying on the back," from Latin supinus "bent backwards, thrown backwards, lying on the back," figuratively "inactive, indolent," from PIE *(s)up- (see sub-). The grammatical use for "Latin verbal noun formed from the past participle stem" (mid-15c.) is from Late Latin supinum verbum "supine verb," perhaps so called because, though furnished with a noun case ending, it "falls back" on the verb. Related: Supinely.
Antonym
Example
- 1. They also had supine shareholders .
- 2. He lay supine on the couch , arms folded .
- 3. In the silk pillowcase supine is the best beauty sleep .
- 4. Accept unfair treatment in supine submission .
- 5. He always sleeps in a supine position .