Meanings
plural decumbitures
- obsoleteThe fact of lying down, specifically of a person due to illness.
It happened during my tedious and melancholy decumbiture...
1734, William Stukeley, Of the Gout, J. Roberts, page 34 - historicalastrologyThe time one takes to one's bed during an illness, as used for astrological prognostications; or a chart drawn up to express this.
1 more example
By casting a figure for the decumbiture, or moment when the patient felt ill, and by resolving a question on the sight of his urine, the astrological doctor claimed to be able to diagnose the disease, prescribe the treatment, foretell when the sickness would reach its crisis, and prognosticate its eventual outcome.
1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 277
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Latindēcumbo“lie or fall down”
- Englishdecumbiture
From Latin dēcumbo (“lie or fall down”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
decumbiture. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decumbiture
“decumbiture.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decumbiture. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “decumbiture,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decumbiture.
Source: decumbiture on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.