genuflect

verb

gen·​u·​flect ˈjen-yə-ˌflekt 

genuflected; genuflecting; genuflects

intransitive verb

1

a

: to bend the knee

b

: to touch the knee to the floor or ground especially in worship

genuflected before the altar

2

: to be humbly obedient or respectful

bureaucrats who genuflect before the governor

genuflection

ˌjen-yə-ˈflek-shən 

noun

Did you know?

Today we give reverence to genuflect, which comes from the Late Latin word genuflectere, formed from the noun genu ("knee") and the verb flectere ("to bend"). Flectere appears in the etymologies of a number of more common verbs, such as reflect ("to bend or throw back light") and deflect ("to turn aside"). By comparison genu has seen little use in English, but it did give us geniculate, a word used in scientific contexts to mean "bent abruptly at an angle like a bent knee." Despite the resemblance, words such as genius and genuine are not related to genuflect; instead, they are related (genius directly, and genuine indirectly) to the Latin verb gignere, meaning "to beget."

Examples of genuflect in a Sentence

They genuflected before the altar in the church.

Recent Examples on the Web

Harris has benefited greatly from her overnight installation as the Democratic nominee, which spared her the need to genuflect so conspicuously to the political left. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2024

Lovers of Confederate Americana, meanwhile, genuflect at the first White House of the Confederacy. —Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

And while genuflecting before the Reagan myth, Trump could not have been more different—an angry, pessimistic figure who warned that America was doomed and promised a return to a mythic past. —CBS News, 23 Mar. 2024

Instead of genuflecting before Arab autocrats, the Biden administration should deliver one simple message to Israel in its war against Hamas: Get the job done. —The Editors, National Review, 5 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin genuflectere, from Latin genu knee + flectere to bend — more at knee entry 1

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

genuflect

verb

gen·​u·​flect ˈjen-yə-ˌflekt 

: to kneel on one knee and then rise again as an act of deep respect