prosterno

prō-sterno, strāvi, strātum, 3, v. a., to strew in front of, to strew before one; also, to throw to the ground, throw down, overthrow, prostrate (syn.: fundo, profligo, provolvo).

I.

Lit.:

eo prosternebant folia farferi,

Plaut. Poen. 2, 31 (al. praesternebant):

ceteros ruerem... et prosternerem,

Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 21:

pondere silvam,

Ov. M. 8, 776:

prostraturus humi corpus,

Curt. 8, 5, 6; cf. Liv. 9, 6:

se ad pedes alicujus,

Cic. Phil. 2, 18, 45; so,

prosternere se et supplicare alicui,

id. Planc. 20, 50:

his auditis prostraverant se omnes humi,

Liv. 45, 20, 9:

hostem prostravit, fudit, occidit,

Cic. Phil. 14, 10, 27:

hostem ferro,

Sil. 7, 397:

legio prosternitur latis arvis,

Val. Fl. 6, 508:

telo virum,

id. ib. 3, 185:

lapsu equi prostratus,

Tac. H. 4, 34.—

II.

Trop.

1.

To throw to the ground, to overthrow, subvert, ruin, destroy, etc. (freq. and class.):

omnia cupiditate ac furore,

Cic. Clu. 6, 15; 31, 70; cf.:

jacet ille nunc prostratus,

id. Cat. 2, 1, 2; and:

afflicta ct prostrata virtus,

id. de Or. 2, 52, 211; id. Leg. 2, 17, 42: malevolorum obtrectationes, Vatin. ap. Cic. Fam. 5, 9, 1:

mores civitatis,

Plin. 36, 15, 24, § 113:

carminum studium,

Tac. Or 11: se prosternere, to demean or debase one's self, Cic. Par. 1, 14:

prostrata est Philisthaea omnis,

Vulg. Isa. 14, 31.—

2.

To prostitute, Suet. Caes. 2; id. Tib. 35; id. Calig. 24; Just. 12, 7, 11; Arn. 2, 73 (in Plin Pan. 31 the true read. is praesterni).