prone

Where does the word "prone" come from? It comes from Latin pronus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Prone’s story begins in Latin: pronus meant “leaning forward.” Possibly related to 'pro', forward. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as prone. In English it first meant naturally inclined, around 1400; the sense 'face down' only appears in the 1570s. It reached English by 1300s as prone. 'accident-prone' dates from the 1920s. Today, prone means likely to suffer; lying face down.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient pronus "leaning forward", possibly related to 'pro', forward.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval prone "lying face down", in English it first meant naturally inclined, around 1400; the sense 'face down' only appears in the 1570s.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s prone "lying face down", 'accident-prone' dates from the 1920s.