genuflect

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verb gen·u·flect \ˈjen-yə-ˌflekt\

Definition of genuflect

intransitive verb
1a : to bend the kneeb : 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

play \ˌjen-yə-ˈflek-shən\ noun

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genuflect was our Word of the Day on 02/28/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of genuflect in a Sentence

They genuflected before the altar in the church.

Recent Examples of genuflect from the Web

Good for the Cavs refusing to genuflect at the alter of the sweep.

— cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers deliver a powerful statement to Golden State in Game 4: Terry Pluto (photos)," 10 June 2017
Generation Next isn’t sitting around the garage, smitten by tales of their elders and genuflecting at the sight of their firesuits.

— george diaz, OrlandoSentinel.com, "The kids are alright and pushing vets in Cup playoff run," 5 June 2017
A: And the rest of the NBA is supposed to genuflect and hand them the title?

— terry pluto, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers have me talking myself into another title -- Terry Pluto (photos)," 1 June 2017
And the rest of the NBA is supposed to genuflect and hand them the title?

— terry pluto, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers have me talking myself into another title -- Terry Pluto (photos)," 1 June 2017
Genuflecting in the face of the aristocracy strikes me as a prelude to something darker.

— karen d'souza, The Mercury News, "Kate Middleton, Prince William and the Queen, oh my! What is all the fuss?," 16 May 2017
The film sees itself through eyes all its own, and depicts same-sex intimacy without genuflecting to the stigmas that have set the parameters for representations of queerness in the past.

— john paul brammer, NBC News, "Opinion: ‘Best Kiss’ in ‘Moonlight’ Defies the Heterosexual Gaze," 9 May 2017
Bourdain used to genuflect like a fanboy before innovative chefs such as Éric Ripert, of Le Bernardin.

— adam davidson, The New Yorker, "Anthony Bourdain’s Moveable Feast," 13 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'genuflect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Genuflect is derived from Late Latin genuflectere, formed from the noun "genu" ("knee") and the verb "flectere" ("to bend"). "Flectere" is an ancestor of a number of common verbs in English, such as "reflect" ("to throw back light or sound") and "deflect" ("to turn aside"). By comparison "genu" sees little use in English, but it did give us "geniculate," a word often 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 of a family that includes the Latin verb gignere, meaning "to beget."