obsequence

Also ob·se·que·ence

[ob-si-kwuhns]

noun

1. willingness or eagerness to comply, please, serve, etc.; obsequiousness.

Word History and Origins

Origin of obsequence¹

1595–1605; < Latin obsequentia, equivalent to obsequent-, stem of obsequēns present participle of obsequī to comply with ( obsequious ) + -ia -ia

Example Sentences

It's nice to see a city that refuses to be bulldozed by the NFL bully into destroying neighborhoods, floating bonds, and in general, bowing obsequence to a group that is becoming more and more noted for its crimes, lawlessness, and danger, than sport.

Read more on New York Times

Beginning with his hardscrabble boyhood on a Texas farm, he has been irresistibly drawn to wealth and power and has managed, by an adroit mixture of dash and obsequence, to gain both.

Read more on Time Magazine Archive