prosternere

Prosternere is a Latin verb meaning to lay down flat, to throw down, or to prostrate oneself. It can refer to a literal act of lying face down and also to figurative meanings such as bringing someone or something low or overthrowing a foe. The term is often encountered in religious, ceremonial, military, and rhetorical contexts.

Etymology and cognates: The word is formed from the prefix pro- (forward, intensifying) and sternere (to spread or lay out). It is the source of English prostrate and prostration, which passed into English via Latin and Old French, preserving the core sense of abasement or laying flat.

Usage and sense: In classical Latin, prosternere is used actively with a direct object or with reflexive se to express someone laying themselves down, typically in acts of worship, supplication, or humility before rulers or deities. It can also be extended metaphorically to mean to lay low a person, to overthrow, or to defeat decisively, in both political and military discourse.

Morphology: Prosternere is a third-conjugation verb. Its common principal parts are prosternō, prosternere, prostrāvī, prostrātum, enabling standard active forms and, where applicable, passive or deponent-like constructions in classical Latin.

Derivatives and related terms: The noun prosternatio (prostration) is a direct derivation, and the root gives English derivatives such as prostrate and prostration. In Latin dictionaries, the verb is typically listed with its principal parts and notes on reflexive usage (se prosternere).

See also: Prostrate, Prostration, Sternere, Prosternatio.