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

Most of these genuflecting tech titans had been visionary engineers with iconoclastic styles themselves but benefit from little experience in diplomacy. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025

Some corporate leaders genuflect at the altar attacking racial justice to curry favor with the incoming administration. —Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025

With a compliant Congress and a pliable media this could be as easy as getting Sean Hannity to genuflect to an impending USA Monarchy. —Greg Marotta, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025

Zoom in: The number of lawmakers genuflecting to Musk on X was astonishing. —Axios, 19 Dec. 2024

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

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

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