recumbent

1 of 2

adjective

re·​cum·​bent ri-ˈkəm-bənt 

1

a

: suggestive of repose : leaning, resting

comfortably recumbent against a fallen tree

b

: lying down

Then Mr. Grey was shown in, and found the squire recumbent on a sofa, with a store of books within his reach …

—Anthony Trollope

2

: representing a person lying down

a recumbent statue

3

of a bicycle : having the seat positioned so that the rider's legs are extended horizontally forward to the pedals and the body is reclined

a recumbent bicycle

recumbent

2 of 2

noun

: a bicycle with a wide seat that has a back support and is positioned so that the rider's legs are extended horizontally forward to the pedals and the body is reclined

The recumbent requires a bit more space, but its chairlike seat offers better back support.

—Patrick Netter et al.

There are more than a dozen categories of recumbents with one thing in common: the sit-down position.

—Dan Koeppel

Did you know?

If you're ready to take your vocabulary lying down, you'll want to be familiar with the synonyms recumbent, prone, supine, and prostrate, all of which mean "lying down." Recumbent, which derives from the Latin prefix re- and the verb cumbere, meaning "to lie down," focuses on the posture or position native to sleeping or resting. Prone describes someone who is lying facedown, as, for example, in doing push-ups. Supine flips it over, suggesting the position of someone lying inert on the back, while prostrate implies a full-scale physical collapse or submission, regardless of the exact position of the defeated body. Recumbent, dating from 17th century, is the newest of the four words; the others all entered English before the 16th century.

Choose the Right Synonym for recumbent

prone, supine, prostrate, recumbent mean lying down.

prone implies a position with the front of the body turned toward the supporting surface.

push-ups require a prone position

supine implies lying on one's back and suggests inertness or abjectness.

lying supine on the couch

prostrate implies lying full-length as in submission, defeat, or physical collapse.

a runner fell prostrate at the finish line

recumbent implies the posture of one sleeping or resting.

a patient comfortably recumbent in a hospital bed

Examples of recumbent in a Sentence

Adjective

… the psychiatrist's popular image remains that of a little bearded figure with a Central European accent, scribbling away in a notebook behind his recumbent patient. —Roland Littlewood, Times Literary Supplement, September 1984

A recumbent figure started up from the grass and came running toward them through the flickering screen of light and shade. —Willa Cather, O Pioneers!, 1913

The Egyptian sphinx has the body of a recumbent lion.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Ben Kilner View 10 Images View gallery - 10 images Traversing the width of Scotland in a canoe would be a challenge in and of itself, as would traversing it on a recumbent tricycle. —Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 1 Nov. 2024

Type of bike Generally, there are five different types of exercise bikes: upright, recumbent, spin, air, or folding-style. —Danielle Dimeglio, SELF, 31 Oct. 2024

The reissue contains a new preface by Benjamin Moser, the biographer of Susan Sontag, one of Hujar’s dear friends, who wrote the introduction to the first edition, and also appears in an iconic picture therein, recumbent with upraised arms folded to cradle her head. —Jackson Davidow, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019

The prize of the collection—a pallid, recumbent, half-naked Cleopatra, by Artemisia Gentileschi—was on loan to a museum, leaving a ghostly rectangle of space on a wall near the kitchen, where a litter box was discreetly positioned. —Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin recumbent-, recumbens, present participle of recumbere to lie down, from re- + -cumbere to lie down; akin to Latin cubare to lie

First Known Use

Adjective

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1968, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

recumbent

adjective

re·​cum·​bent ri-ˈkəm-bənt 

1

: being in a state of rest

2

: lying down

Medical Definition

recumbent

adjective

re·​cum·​bent -bənt 

: lying down

a patient recumbent on a stretcher