Question

prostrate 【prostrate】n.平卧；卧倒The wretched slaves prostrated themselves before their master.可怜的奴隶卧倒在他们主人的面前。

Accepted Answer

['prɑːstreɪt] 
prostratestretched out and lying at full length along the ground
The verb prostrate means "to make helpless or defenseless." Illness, injury, food poisoning, grief — any of these things can prostrate people, or lying down in a helpless position.
The word prostrate traces back to the Latin word prostratus, meaning “thrown down.” If you are prostrate, you feel thrown down and laid flat. It can describe lying on the ground in a helpless position, or it can be used to describe someone who has been overcome or made unable to function, such as someone who is prostrated by grief or illness.
All forms of 'prostrate' will appear on average once every 521 pages.prostrateprostrationsemi-prostrate
CHOOSE RIGHT WORDS: PROSTATE-PROSTRATE
			
  Oh,  for the want of a letter! Prostate is a gland found in male mammals, but prostrate, with an r, means to lie face down. Get them mixed up  and you'll thoroughly confuse your doctor.
  A  prostate (no r)is a gland in front of the bladder of male mammals. You often hear  about men having enlarged prostates or prostate cancer:

A longer index finger gives men a lower risk of prostate cancer. (Reuters) 
    
      Prostatecancer begins in the walnut-sized prostate gland, an integral part of the male reproductive system. (Science Magazine)
    
      Until very recently, the American Cancer Society  also urged men to get tested in order to avoid being killed by prostate cancer. (Time)

Add  that second "r" in there, and prostrate means to lie or bow down. You might prostrate yourself before royalty, or lie prostrate on the floor if you have the flu or if your best friend just died. Prostrate is to be flattened:

I found myself prostrate, then crawling until my  glasses broke. (New York Times)
    
      When Lord Macartney came to China he refused to prostrate himself before the Emperor in  the ritual kowtow out of respect to his own monarch. (The Telegraph)
    
      See  the poor wretch, prostrate at the royal feet, imploring a little indulgence,  and promising what is utterly beyond his power. (Joseph Cross)
  
  Men  might have prostate cancer, which has  nothing to do with what they ate, but  remember the r in prostrate stands for relax or lie down.

Front	prostrate
Pron	['prɑːstreɪt]
Back	【prostrate】 n.平卧；卧倒 The wretched slaves prostrated themselves before their master. 可怜的奴隶卧倒在他们主人的面前。
Vocab	prostratestretched out and lying at full length along the ground The verb prostrate means "to make helpless or defenseless." Illness, injury, food poisoning, grief — any of these things can prostrate people, or lying down in a helpless position. The word prostrate traces back to the Latin word prostratus, meaning “thrown down.” If you are prostrate, you feel thrown down and laid flat. It can describe lying on the ground in a helpless position, or it can be used to describe someone who has been overcome or made unable to function, such as someone who is prostrated by grief or illness. All forms of 'prostrate' will appear on average once every 521 pages. prostrate prostration semi-prostrate CHOOSE RIGHT WORDS: PROSTATE-PROSTRATE Oh, for the want of a letter! Prostate is a gland found in male mammals, but prostrate, with an r, means to lie face down. Get them mixed up and you'll thoroughly confuse your doctor. A prostate (no r)is a gland in front of the bladder of male mammals. You often hear about men having enlarged prostates or prostate cancer: A longer index finger gives men a lower risk of prostate cancer. (Reuters) Prostatecancer begins in the walnut-sized prostate gland, an integral part of the male reproductive system. (Science Magazine) Until very recently, the American Cancer Society also urged men to get tested in order to avoid being killed by prostate cancer. (Time) Add that second "r" in there, and prostrate means to lie or bow down. You might prostrate yourself before royalty, or lie prostrate on the floor if you have the flu or if your best friend just died. Prostrate is to be flattened: I found myself prostrate, then crawling until my glasses broke. (New York Times) When Lord Macartney came to China he refused to prostrate himself before the Emperor in the ritual kowtow out of respect to his own monarch. (The Telegraph) See the poor wretch, prostrate at the royal feet, imploring a little indulgence, and promising what is utterly beyond his power. (Joseph Cross) Men might have prostate cancer, which has nothing to do with what they ate, but remember the r in prostrate stands for relax or lie down.

Prostrate Prostate Lie Men Lying Means Helpless Male