Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PROMPT'ED, pp.

Incited; moved to action; instigated; assisted in speaking or learning.

PROMPT'ER, n.

1. One that prompts; one that admonishes or incites to action.
2. One that is placed behind the scenes in a play-house, whose business is to assist the speakers when at a loss, by uttering the first words of a sentence or words forgotten; or any person who aids a public speaker when at a loss, by suggesting the next words of his piece. – Pope.

PROMPT'ING, ppr.

Inciting; moving to action; aiding a speaker when at a loss for the words of his piece.

PROMPT'I-TUDE, n. [Fr. from L. promptus; It. prontitudine; Sp. prontitud.]

1. Readiness; quickness of decision and action when occasion demands. In the sudden vicissitudes of a battle, promptitude in a commander is one of the most essential qualifications.
2. Readiness of will; cheerful alacrity; as, promptitude in obedience or compliance.

PROMPT'LY, adv.

Readily; quickly; expeditiously; cheerfully. – Taylor.

PROMPT'NESS, n.

1. Readiness; quickness of decision or action. The young man answered questions with great promptness.
2. Cheerful willingness; alacrity.
3. Activity; briskness; as, the promptness of animal actions. – Arbuthnot.

PROMPT'U-A-RY, n. [Fr. promptuaire; L. promptuarium.]

That from which supplies are drawn; a storehouse; a magazine; a repository. Woodward.

PROMPT'URE, n.

Suggestion, incitement. [Not used.] – Shak.

PRO-MUL'GATE, v.t. [L. promulgo.]

To publish; to make known by open declaration; as, to promulgate the secrets of a council. It is particularly applied to the publication of laws and the Gospel. The moral law was promulgated at mount Sinai. The apostles promulgated the Gospel. Edicts, laws and orders are promulgated by circular letters, or through the medium of the public prints.

PRO-MUL'GA-TED, pp.

Published; made publicly known.

PRO-MUL'GA-TING, ppr.

Publishing.

PRO-MUL'GA-TION, n.

The act of promulgating; publication; open declaration; as the promulgation of the law or of the Gospel.

PRO-MUL'GA-TOR, n.

A publisher; one who makes known or teaches publicly what was before unknown.

PRO-MULGE', v.t. [promulj'.]

To promulgate; to publish or teach. [Less used than promulgate.]

PRO-MULG'ED, pp.

Published.

PRO-MULG'ER, n.

One who publishes or teaches what was before unknown. – Atterbury.

PRO-MULG'ING, ppr.

Publishing.

PRO-NA'OS, n. [Gr. προ and ναος.]

The porch or vestibule of a building.

PRO-NA'TION, n. [from L. pronus, having the face downward.]

1. Among anatomists, that motion of the radius whereby the palm of the hand is turned downward; the act of turning the palm downward; opposed to supination. – Encyc. Coxe.
2. That position of the hand, when the thumb is turned toward the body, and the palm downward. – Parr.

PRO-NA'TOR, n.

A muscle of the fore arm which serves to turn the palm of the hand downward; opposed to supinator. – Encyc.

PRONE, a. [L. pronus.]

1. Bending forward; inclined; not erect. – Milton.
2. Lying with the face downward; contrary to supine. – Brown.
3. Headlong; precipitous; inclining in descent. Down thither prone in flight. – Milton.
4. Sloping; declivous; inclined. Since the floods demand / For their descent, a prone and sinking land. – Blackmore.
5. Inclined; propense; disposed; applied to the mind or affections, usually in an ill sense; as, men prone to evil, prone to strife, prone to intemperance, prone to deny the truth, prone to change.

PRONE-NESS, n.

1. The state of bending downward; as, the proneness of beasts that look downward; opposed to the erectness of man. – Brown.
2. The state of lying with the face downward; contrary to supineness.
3. Descent; declivity; as, the proneness of a hill.
4. Inclination of mind, heart, or temper; propension; disposition; as, the proneness of the Israelites to idolatry; proneness to self-gratification or to self-justification; proneness to comply with temptation; sometimes in a good sense; as, the proneness of good men to commiserate want. – Atterbury.

PRONG, n. [Possibly it is formed with n casual, from the W. prociaw, to stab, or Scot. prog, brog, a sharp point.]

1. A sharp pointed instrument. Prick it on a prong of iron. – Sandys.
2. The tine of a fork or of a similar instrument; as, a fork of two of three prongs. [This is the sense in which it is used in America.]

PRONG'HOE, n.

A hoe with prongs to break the earth. – Encyc.

PRO'NI-TY, n. [for Proneness, is not used.]

– More.