Definition of GENUFLECTED

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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."

Examples of genuflect in a Sentence

They genuflected before the altar in the church.

Recent Examples on the Web This wasn't a mere victory lap — although John relished the opportunity to stand up from his piano and genuflect gleefully after practically every song. — Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Elton John outshines his legend at sensational final Milwaukee concert at Fiserv Forum," 20 Oct. 2019 How many more times will this nation go through this before mostly Republican members of Congress and President Donald Trump stop genuflecting to the National Rifle Association? — Daniel Borenstein, The Mercury News, "Editorial: Trump’s post-Gilroy condolences lack any credibility," 30 July 2019 These days, anyone who still genuflects at the altar of cinema amid our putative streaming-service renaissance runs the risk of being labeled hopelessly retrograde. — Los Angeles Times, "Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,’ the haunting work of a filmmaker running out of time," 26 July 2019 So far every major Democrat who has declared for the presidency—Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Tulsi Gabbard—has felt obliged at least to genuflect in the direction of Cardinal Bernie. ... — Daniel Henninger, WSJ, "The Democrats’ Socialist Gene," 20 Feb. 2019 Tillery fancies himself a kingmaker and promises a get-out-the-vote effort to genuflecting politicos. — Jason Williams, Cincinnati.com, "PX column: Why we should be concerned about former Cincinnati Mayor Dwight Tillery's text messages to City Council," 12 June 2019 Potomac Watch Podcast The goal is to identify donors who don’t genuflect to progressive views, then bully or harass them to stop giving. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Majority Preservation Act," 7 Jan. 2019 Whatever your preference, be sure to genuflect at the altar of canned and pickled vegetables upstairs in backlit mason jars. — Stephanie Burt, Condé Nast Traveler, "28 Best Restaurants in Charleston," 2 May 2018 But this time, instead of letting politicians settle into the same old pattern of actively doing nothing and genuflecting to the National Rifle Association, fresh-faced young people have been relentlessly demanding more gun control. — The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board, sacbee, "Schools worried about the National School Walkout are missing the point of democracy," 14 Mar. 2018

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.

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Last Updated

6 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Genuflect.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genuflected. Accessed 7 December 2019.