a1670 J. Hacket Scrinia Reserata (1693) ii. 56 A saying..out of a prosne or homily, made on purpose to be read before the clergy and laity in all Visitations.

1688 J. Harrington Some Refl. Pietas Romana & Parisiensis 9 This cannot be probably thought to proceed from the French Modesty, which hath seldome been famous; but from a due sense of the meaneness of those Prones, and Postills.

1716 M. Davies Athenæ Britannicæ II. 275 One Eusebius..is said to have writ many short Prones or Exhortations upon the Gospels.

a1773 A. Butler Moveable Feasts Catholic Church (1774) i. v. 78 A Person who besides Morning and Evening Prayers has devoutly attended High-mass with a Prone or Sermon.

1860 F. C. Husenbeth Life Mgr. Weedall iii. 50 These sermons were called by the French name of Prones... In these Prones, however, no one surpassed Mr. Weedall.

1897 F. A. Gasquet Old Eng. Bible 65 Parochial sermons were, for the most part..prones upon the Scripture lessons proper for the special Sundays.

1910 Catholic Encycl. VII. 448/2 The third kind selects some virtue or vice arising out of the Gospel, and treats one or the other to the exclusion of all else. This kind of homily is commonly called a ‘prone’.

1763 Divine Office for Use of Laity I. p. vi The prayers, publications, and familiar instructions used at the Parish-Mass, on Sundays..either immediately after the Gospel, or before the Lavabo are called in France the Prône, from a Greek word signifying the Nave of the Church.]

1912 A. Fortescue Mass vii. 295 The Prayers of the Faithful..became the prône, commands to pray for all classes of people, living and dead, which are still given out before the sermon.

1937 W. Douglas Ch. Mus. in Hist. & Pract. v. 120 The most powerful [urge] was that toward the use of the vernacular. Both in England and in Northern Europe..this tendency had brought about a series of vernacular public devotions called the Prone, in connection with the Sermon at High Mass. It contained a bidding prayer for intercessions, a confession and absolution, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments with explanation, and the Church notices.

1972 J. G. Davies Dict. Liturgy & Worship 76/2 The association between the sermon and the intercessions which is found in some of the Reformed churches is probably derived from their association in the prone.

1989 C. Morris Papal Monarchy (1991) xii. 309 The prone..might consist of a summary of the Gospel, some intercessions and the teaching of these basic texts.

1987 Los Angeles Times 31 Aug. (Valley ed.) ii. 8/1 ‘I proned him out on the street,’..meaning he had the defendant lie down in the street with his face down and arms out.

1991 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 10 Oct. 23/2 Passengers..exited on the right side and were immediately ‘proned’ on the ground and handcuffed.

2003 Governing Mag. (Nexis) Dec. 20 For years, young black men stopped by the LAPD were routinely ‘proned out’.

2004 G. Hurwitz Program 368 Bear spun him effortlessly and proned him out on the carpet.

1997 L. Goodwin et al. in U. Gerdin et al. Nursing Informatics 247 It was proposed that proning the patient might increasing oxygenation by decreasing intrapleural pressure.

2020 Windsor (Ontario) Star (Nexis) 13 Nov. a1 Like other COVID-19 patients, Torry was proned regularly.