prostrare

Prostrare is a Latin verb that appears in some grammars as a variant or less common infinitive form of prosternere, meaning to lay flat, to prostrate, or to lay down. The more standard and widely used verb for prostration is prosternere. Prostrare is encountered primarily in late Latin, regional texts, or dictionaries that record alternate spellings; in classical Latin it is considered rare or obsolete.

Etymology and meaning: Prostrare is built from the same root as sternere, meaning to spread out or lay down, with a prefix-like element that can be interpreted as forward or forth. The core idea is to cause something or someone to lie down in a supine or prostrate position, often in submission or humility.

Usage notes: The reflexive form se prostrare means to throw oneself down, typically in front of a deity, ruler, or in an act of supplication. The term also appears in extended expressions describing bodies or objects laid flat. In most classical authors, however, prosternere and its standard forms are preferred, and prostrare is rarely used outside discussions of variant spellings or manuscript transmission.

Morphology: If treated as a nonstandard variant of prosternere, prostrare would align with a standard third-conjugation pattern. The primary parts associated with prosternere would apply, including the present tense forms and the typical perfect, participles, and verbal adjectives. In scholarly references, prostrare is usually noted as a variant rather than as a fully distinct paradigm.

See also: prosternere, sternere, prostration.