genuflect
verbUK, US /ˈd͡ʒɛn.jʊ.flɛkt/
Etymology PIE word *ǵónu From around 1620–1630 from Medieval Latin genūflectō (“to bend the knee”) equivalent to the Latin genū (“knee”) + flectō (“to bend”).
1
Archaic To bend the knee, as in servitude.
2
To briefly enter a position that touches one knee to the ground in a manner that is typically associated with formal homage or religious worship.
- At high Mass the deacon and subdeacon stand on either side, genuflect too, and answer.1913, Adrian Fortescue, Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Gospel in the Liturgy:
- First you get down on your knees, fiddle with your rosaries, / Bow your head with great respect, and / genuflect, genuflect, genuflect.1965, Tom Lehrer, The Vatican Rag:
1 more example
- She took the holy water on her fingertips and made the sign of the cross, fleetingly touched her wet fingertips to her parched lips. Candles flickered redly before the saints, the Christ on his cross. Kay genuflected before entering her row and then knelt on the hard wooden rail of the pew to wait for her call to Communion.circ. 1965, Mario Puzo, The Godfather:
3
Figuratively To behave in a servile manner; to grovel.
- Certainly, the megalomaniacs who aim to populate municipal fixtures with registered-trademark logos will expect cities to genuflect at every turn.2017 September 27, Julianne Tveten, “Zucktown, USA”, in The Baffler:
- Derived terms
- genuflective
- Related terms
- genuflection, genuflector