SUPINE


Meaning of SUPINE in English

I. səˈpīn, (ˈ)sü|p- adjective

Etymology: Latin supinus lying on the back, moving backward; akin to Latin sub under, up — more at up

1.

a. : lying on the back or with the face upward — opposed to prone

b. : marked by supination

2. : manifesting mental or moral lethargy : indifferent to one's duty or welfare or others' needs : lacking stamina : abject

condition of static lethargy and supine incuriousness — Aldous Huxley

the clergy as a whole were therefore obedient and supine — G.M.Trevelyan

3. archaic : leaning or sloping backward : inclined

Synonyms: see inactive , prone

II. ˈsüˌpīn noun

( -s )

Etymology: Middle English supyn, from Late Latin supinum, from Latin, neuter of supinus lying on the back

1. : a Latin verbal noun either in the accusative case in -um used after verbs of motion to denote purpose (as in abiit piscatum “he's gone fishing”) or in the ablative in -u used as an ablative of specification (as in difficile dictu “hard to say”)

2. : an English infinitive with to

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.