supine

 
Pronunciation: /ˈs(j)uːpʌɪn/

adjective

  • 1(of a person) lying face upwards .
  • technical having the front or ventral part upwards.
  • (of the hand) with the palm upwards.
  • 2failing to act or protest as a result of moral weakness or indolence: the government was supine in the face of racial injustice

noun

Grammar
  • a Latin verbal noun used only in the accusative and ablative cases, especially to denote purpose (e.g. mirabile dictu ‘wonderful to relate’).

Derivatives

supinely

adverb

supineness

noun

Origin:

late Middle English: the adjective from Latin supinus 'bent backwards' (related to super 'above'); the noun from late Latin supinum, neuter of supinus