prostration
/pɹɒsˈtɹeɪʃən/noun
prostration is spelled P-R-O-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 85,266th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, prostration means “The act or condition of prostrating oneself (lying face-down), as a sign of humility” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of prostration is prostrations.
How many letters and syllables are in prostration?
| Letters | 11: P-R-O-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 85,266th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is prostration?
Prostration appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 85,266th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce prostration?
- /pɹɒsˈtɹeɪʃən/
Prostration has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-prostration.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of prostration
- prostrations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prostration mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act or condition of prostrating oneself (lying face-down), as a sign of humility.
- 2
A part of the ordination of Catholic and Orthodox priests, in which the ordinand lies prostrate in a gesture of submission to the will of God.
The ordination ceremony includes a variety of rituals, rich in meaning and history, e.g., the prostration, laying on of hands, anointing of hands, giving of the chalice and paten, and sign of peace. – Diocese of Rochester, NY
- 3
The state of lying face down (prone).
- 4
The condition of being prostrated, as from heat; complete loss of strength.
- 5
A reverential bow performed in Middle Eastern cultures.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prostration in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Translations:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | prosternation, prosternement |
| Spanish | postración |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does prostration come from?
From Middle English prostracioun, prostracyon, from Middle French prostration and its etymon Latin prōstrātiō, from prōstrātus, past participle of prōsternō. By surface analysis, prostrate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).