supine

Definitions


[ˈs(j)uːpʌɪn], (Adjective)

Definitions:
- lying on one's back with face upwards
(e.g: we have spent enough time lying supine by hotel pools)

- failing to act or protest as a result of moral weakness or indolence
(e.g: they remained supine in the face of terrible wrongdoing)


Phrases:

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


[ˈs(j)uːpʌɪn], (Noun)

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


Phrases:

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




definition by Oxford Dictionaries