genuflect

[ jen-yoo-flekt ]
See synonyms for: genuflectgenuflected on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to bend the knee or touch one knee to the floor in reverence or worship.

  2. to express a servile attitude.

Origin of genuflect

1
1620–30; <Medieval Latin genūflectere to bend the knee, equivalent to Latin genū-, stem of genuknee + flectere to bend

Other words from genuflect

  • gen·u·flec·tor, noun

Words Nearby genuflect

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use genuflect in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for genuflect

genuflect

/ (ˈdʒɛnjʊˌflɛkt) /


verb(intr)
  1. to act in a servile or deferential manner

  2. RC Church to bend one or both knees as a sign of reverence, esp when passing before the Blessed Sacrament

Origin of genuflect

1
C17: from Medieval Latin genūflectere, from Latin genu knee + flectere to bend

Derived forms of genuflect

  • genuflection or esp British genuflexion, noun
  • genuflector, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012