obeisance

American  

[oh-bey-suhns, oh-bee-] / oʊˈbeɪ səns, oʊˈbi- /

noun

1. a movement of the body expressing deep respect or deferential courtesy, as before a superior; a bow, curtsy, or other similar gesture.

2. deference or homage.

   The nobles gave obeisance to the new king.

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obeisance British  

/ əʊˈbeɪsəns, əʊˈbiː- /

noun

1. an attitude of deference or homage

2. a gesture expressing obeisance

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Other Word Forms

• obeisant
  adjective
• obeisantly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of obeisance

1325–75; Middle English obeisaunce < Middle French obeissance, derivative of Old French obeissant, present participle of obeir to obey; see -ance

Explanation

An obeisance is an act, usually physical, showing dutiful obedience. A supplicant might perform obeisance, touching his face to the ground, before humbly asking for help. Obeisance is often used in historical or religious contexts and often refers to bowing or kneeling. Figuratively, it means an act of respect though sometimes with the negative connotation of slavishly doing as expected. Your boyfriend might bring you and your mother flowers in obeisance to the idea that the parents should be courted as much as the child. Consumers who want this software must show obeisance to the Internet — it can't be bought in a store or anywhere else.

Example Sentences

Two months after Modi was elected, he announced his most ambitious cleanup initiative: Namami Gange, or Obeisance to the Ganges.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 18, 2016

Then Bharat with delighted mien Obeisance paid to every queen, And with Śatrughna by his side Mounting the car away he hied.

From The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Griffith, Ralph T. H. (Ralph Thomas Hotchkin)

Obeisance of kind strangers' eyes, Triumphant cannons' measured roar, Doffed plumes, and martial courtesies, Shall greet you on the Norman shore.

From Ionica by Cory, William (AKA William Johnson)

The Whole perfectly resembled that Scene of the Knight in the Festin de Pierre, excepting nevertheless that we were not honor'd with the least Obeisance.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume III Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

I return'd no other Answer but a profound Obeisance.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume III Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von