prostration

Plural: prostrations

Noun

• an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion
  • "the commander's prostration demoralized his men"
• abject submission; the emotional equivalent of prostrating your body
• the act of assuming a prostrate position
• The act or condition of prostrating oneself (lying face-down), as a sign of humility.
• 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 state of lying face down (prone).
• The condition of being prostrated, as from heat; complete loss of strength.
• A reverential bow performed in Middle Eastern cultures.

Examples

• 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

Synonyms

collapse, sujud