genuflect

Genuflect is defined as to bend at the knee, or to touch one knee to the ground, especially in a respectful or religious way.

(verb)

An example of genuflect is to kneel before the tabernacle at church.

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See genuflect in Webster's New World College Dictionary

intransitive verb

  1. to bend the knee, as in reverence or worship
  2. to act in a submissive or servile way

Origin: ML(Ec) genuflectere < L genu, knee + flectere, to bend: see flex

Related Forms:

See genuflect in American Heritage Dictionary 4

intransitive verb gen·u·flect·ed, gen·u·flect·ing, gen·u·flects
  1. To bend the knee or touch one knee to the floor or ground, as in worship.
  2. To be servilely respectful or deferential; grovel.

Origin:

Origin: Late Latin genūflectere

Origin: : Latin genū, knee; see genu-1 in Indo-European roots

Origin: + Latin flectere, to bend

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Related Forms:

  • genˌu·flecˈtion (-flĕkˈshən) noun

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