prone

¹ American  

[prohn] / proʊn /

adjective

1. having a natural inclination or tendency to something; disposed; liable.

   to be prone to anger.

   Synonyms:

   subject, apt

2. having the front or ventral part downward; lying face downward.

3. lying flat; prostrate.

   Synonyms:

   recumbent

4. having a downward direction or slope.

5. having the palm downward, as the hand.

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prone ² American  

[prohn] / proʊn /

noun

1. a sermon or a brief hortatory introduction to a sermon, usually delivered at a service at which the Eucharist is celebrated.

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prone ¹ British  

/ prəʊn /

adjective

1. lying flat or face downwards; prostrate

2. sloping or tending downwards

3. having an inclination to do something

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-prone ² British  

combining form

1. liable or disposed to suffer

   accident-prone

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Other Word Forms

• pronely adverb
• proneness noun

Etymology

Origin of prone¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin prōnus “turned or leaning forward, inclined downward, disposed,” adverb based on prō pro ¹ ( def. )

Origin of prone²

First recorded in 1660–70; from French prône “grill, grating (separating chancel from nave),” so called because notices and addresses were delivered there, from Old French prodne, prorne, prosne, by way of a Medieval Latin or Late Latin intermediary such as protinum (unrecorded) from Latin prothyrum “foyer, porch, vestibule,” from Greek próthyron, from pró pro- ² ( def. ) + thýra “door” ( door ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

These lakes are prone to failing because they are precariously dammed by walls made of frozen earth, rocks and ice created by the movement of a glacier.

From The Wall Street Journal

For someone with such foresight, Hesterfowl seemed prone to overlook the obvious.

From Literature

Wigler noted that the promise of hitting goals fast with AI tempts tech start-up teams already prone to long workdays to lose track of time and stay on the job even deeper into the night.

From Barron's

“This market requires investors to stay hedged and nimble as new information hits the tape, but we caution against flipping short as current positioning is prone to squeeze risk amid potential resolution headlines,” they said.

From MarketWatch

The market is being pulled in different directions and is prone to event-driven swings, with higher fuel costs supporting prices, Nanhua Futures analysts say in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• apt
• devoted
• exposed
• inclined
• ready
• sensitive
• susceptible
• willing