genuflect

Etymology

From around 1620–1630 from Medieval Latin genūflectō (“I bend the knee”) equivalent to the Latin genū (“knee”) + flectō (“to bend”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒɛn.jʊ.flɛkt/

• Audio (US)

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Verb

genuflect (third-person singular simple present genuflects, present participle genuflecting, simple past and past participle genuflected)

1. (intransitive) To bend the knee, as in servitude or worship
   • 1913, Adrian Fortescue, Catholic Encyclopedia, "Gospel in the Liturgy"

     At high Mass the deacon and subdeacon stand on either side, genuflect too, and answer.

   • 1965, Tom Lehrer, The Vatican Rag

     First you get down on your knees, fiddle with your rosaries, / Bow your head with great respect and genuflect, genuflect, genuflect.

2. (intransitive, figuratively) To behave in a servile manner; to grovel.
   • 2017 September 27, Julianne Tveten, “Zucktown, USA”, in The Baffler‎:

     Certainly, the megalomaniacs who aim to populate municipal fixtures with registered-trademark logos will expect cities to genuflect at every turn.