supine

[adj. soo-pahyn; n. soo-pahyn] /adj. suˈpaɪn; n. ˈsu paɪn/
adjective
1.
lying on the back, face or front upward.
2.
inactive, passive, or inert, especially from indolence or indifference.
3.
(of the hand) having the palm upward.
noun
4.
(in Latin) a noun form derived from verbs, appearing only in the accusative and the dative-ablative, as dictū in mirābile dictū, “wonderful to say.”.
5.
(in English) the simple infinitive of a verb preceded by to.
6.
an analogous form in some other language.
Origin
1490-1500; < Latin supīnus lying face up, inactive
Related forms
supinely, adverb
supineness, noun
unsupine, adjective
Can be confused
prone, prostate, prostrate, supine.
Examples from the web for supine
  • The measurements given refer to a moderately filled stomach with the body in the supine position.
  • In the final frame, his tormentor stands over his supine form.
  • He's a clumsy doofus for whom rising from a supine position can take all morning.
British Dictionary definitions for supine

supine

adjective (suːˈpaɪn; sjuː-; ˈsuːpaɪn; ˈsjuː-)
1.
lying or resting on the back with the face, palm, etc, upwards
2.
displaying no interest or animation; lethargic
noun (ˈsuːpaɪn; ˈsjuː-)
3.
(grammar) a noun form derived from a verb in Latin, often used to express purpose with verbs of motion sup
Derived Forms
supinely, adverb
supineness, noun
Word Origin
C15: from Latin supīnus related to sub under, up; (in grammatical sense) from Latin verbum supīnum supine word (the reason for this use is unknown)
Word Origin and History for supine
adj.

c.1500, from Latin supinus "turned or thrown backwards, inactive, indolent," related to sub "under" (see sub-). The grammatical use for "Latin verbal noun formed from the past participle stem" 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.

supine in Medicine

supine su·pine (sōō-pīn', sōō'pīn')
adj.

  1. Lying on the back; having the face upward.

  2. Having the palm of the hand or sole of the foot upward.