supine

The definition of supine is laying on the back facing upward or showing a feeling of indifference.

(adjective)

  1. An example of a supine action is someone lying on her back.
  2. An example of a supine reaction is not caring when someone is injured.

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See supine in Webster's New World College Dictionary

adjective

  1. lying on the back, face upward
  2. with the palm upward or away from the body: said of the hand
  3. Old Poet. leaning or sloping backward
  4. mentally or morally inactive; sluggish; listless; passive

Origin: L supinus, prob. akin to sub-: see sub-

noun

  1. a Latin verbal noun formed from the stem of the past participle and having only an accusative and an ablative form
  2. an infinitive in English preceded by to

Related Forms:

See supine in American Heritage Dictionary 4

adjective
  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.
noun
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.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English supin, Latin verbal noun

Origin: , from Late Latin supīnum (verbum), (verb) lying on its back, (verb) going back

Origin: , neuter of Latin supīnus; see upo in Indo-European roots

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Related Forms:

  • su·pineˈly adverb
  • su·pineˈness noun

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