prone
/prəʊn
/adjective
1 (prone to/to do something) Likely or liable to suffer from, do, or experience something unpleasant or regrettable: farmed fish are prone to disease [in combination]: he was written off by many as too injury-prone...
- Indeed, some people are especially prone to error.
- Generally, the link between adrenalin making people more prone to heart failure is not well established.
- Passive smoking affects non-smokers and makes them more prone to respiratory infections.
Synonyms
susceptible, vulnerable, liable, inclined, given, subject, disposed, predisposed, open;
likely to have/get, apt to get, with a tendency to get, at risk of, in danger of getting
2Lying flat, especially face downwards: I was lying prone on a foam mattress a prone position...
- You find yourself lying prone on a cold and dusty floor made of stone.
- I soon settled in for some rigorous study, busying myself with my alternately prone and prostrate experiments.
- Rod lay prone on the sandbar in the firelight, his back hurting him.
Synonyms
(lying) face down, face downwards, on one's stomach, on one's front;
lying flat, lying down, flat, horizontal, prostrate
rare procumbent
2.1 technical Denoting the position of the forearm with the palm of the hand facing downwards.
2.2 archaic With a downward slope or direction.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin pronus 'leaning forward', from pro 'forwards'.