Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Prostration
Pros-tra′tion
,Noun.
[L.
prostratio
: cf. F. prostration
.] 1.
The act of prostrating, throwing down, or laying fiat;
as, the
. prostration
of the body2.
The act of falling down, or of bowing in humility or adoration; primarily, the act of falling on the face, but usually applied to kneeling or bowing in reverence and worship.
A greater
prostration
of reason than of body. Shakespeare
3.
The condition of being prostrate; great depression; lowness; dejection;
“A sudden prostration of strength.” as, a
. postration
of spiritsArbuthnot.
4.
(Med.)
A latent, not an exhausted, state of the vital energies; great oppression of natural strength and vigor.
☞ Prostration, in its medical use, is analogous to the state of a spring lying under such a weight that it is incapable of action; while exhaustion is analogous to the state of a spring deprived of its elastic powers. The word, however, is often used to denote any great depression of the vital powers.
Webster 1828 Edition
Prostration
PROSTRA'TION
,Noun.
1.
The act of falling down, or the act of bowing in humility or adoration; primarily, the act of falling on the face, but it is now used for kneeling or bowing in reverence and worship.2.
Great depression; dejection; as a prostration of spirits.3.
Great loss of natural strength and vigor; that state of the body in disease in which the system is passive and requires powerful stimulants to excite it into action.