Canossa

noun

Ca·​nos·​sa

kəˈnäsə,

-ˈȯ-

plural -s

: a place or occasion of submission, humiliation, or penance

—often used with go to

he went to his Canossa when he reversed his policy

Word History

Etymology

from Canossa, village in northern Italy where Emperor Henry IV made humble submission to Pope Gregory VII in 1077

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