recumbent

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The Word of the Day for August 25 is:

recumbent   \rih-KUM-bunt\   adjective
    *1 a : suggestive of repose : leaning, resting  b : lying down
     2 : representing a person lying down

Example sentence:
     When Bert glanced at his father's recumbent form in the armchair, he 
immediately thought that he could use a good nap himself.

Did you know?
     If you're ready to take your vocabulary lying down, you'll want to be 
familiar with the synonyms "recumbent," "prone,"
"supine," and "prostrate," all of which mean "lying down." "Recumbent," which 
derives from the Latin prefix "re-" and the verb "cumbere," meaning "to lie 
down," focuses on the posture or position native to sleeping or resting. 
"Prone" describes someone who is lying facedown, as, for example, in doing 
push-ups. "Supine" flips it over, suggesting the position of someone lying 
inert on the back, while "prostrate" implies a full-scale physical collapse or 
submission, regardless of the exact position of the defeated body. "Recumbent," 
dating from 1705, is the newest of the four words; the others all entered 
English before the 16th century.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.





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