What does "supine" mean?
Supine: Leaning backward, or inclining with exposure to the sun; sloping; inclined. If the vine On rising ground be placed, or hills supine. Dryden.
Additional senses
- 2.Negligent; heedless; indolent; listless. He became pusillanimous and supine, and openly exposed to any temptation. Woodward. -- Su*pine"ly, adv. -- Su*pine"ness, n.
- 3.A verbal noun; or (according to C.F.Becker), a case of the infinitive mood ending in -um and -u, that in -um being sometimes called the former supine, and that in -u the latter supine.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/answers/what-does-supine-mean
- Steward: Jason Burns
- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00