decumbent

9.9

To lie down and rest, often with the tip turning upward

adjective
/dɪˈkʌmbənt/

: decumbente

After the long hike, he lay decumbent on the soft grass, enjoying a moment of rest.

Examples

The patient remained decumbent in bed as instructed by the doctor.
Several decumbent stems grew along the ground before rising at their tips.
The cat lay decumbent.
I feel decumbent after lunch.
After the long hike, he lay decumbent on the soft grass, enjoying a moment of rest.
The patient remained decumbent in bed as instructed by the doctor.
Several decumbent stems grew along the ground before rising at their tips.

Synonyms

recumbent

vsdecumbent

1 7.9

Lying down or leaning back to rest

also applies to stems that lie along the ground then tip upward

accumbent

vsdecumbent

Archaic

9.9

Lying down and resting on a surface like a bed or the ground

is neutral in tone rather than formal and used broadly

How Reclined

prostrate

5 7.0

decumbent

9.9

reclining

3.7

leaning

4.2

sitting

1.0

Surface Forms

decumbent positive

Morphology

decumbent = de + cumb + ent

Although analyzable as de- (down) + cumb- (lie) + -ent, the root 'cumb' is not a standalone modern English word and the word is a learned Latinism, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from its parts.

Etymology

Decumbent comes from Latin parts de- 'down' and cumbere 'to lie'. So decumbent literally means 'lying down', which is why we use it for a person resting or for plant stems that lie along the ground before rising at the tip.