genuflection

American  

[jen-yoo-flek-shuhn] / ˌdʒɛn yʊˈflɛk ʃən /

especially British, genuflexion

noun

1. an act of bending the knee or touching it to the ground in reverence or worship.

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Etymology

Origin of genuflection

First recorded in 1520–30, genuflection is from the Medieval Latin word genūflexiōn- (stem of genūflexiō ). See genuflect, -ion

Example Sentences

He saw the tribal genuflection as “an empty, performative act” that implied “UW’s presence is somehow illegitimate, shameful, morally wrong.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

At earlier hearings, university presidents opted for strategies of conciliatory genuflection or drab, lawyerly answers.

From New York Times • May 9, 2024

But Adam didn’t do rhyme and meter, for one thing — too much like mandatory genuflection in church, he once remarked.

From Washington Post • Feb. 23, 2023

Pay close attention to appreciate the artful genuflection to classics like "Excalibur."

From Salon • May 21, 2021

The Pilgrim acknowledged her claim to it by a low genuflection.

From Ivanhoe by Scott, Walter, Sir