Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: CHRISTIANITY

Date: 1800-1900
Language: Late Latin
Origin: genuflectere, from Latin genu 'knee' + flectere 'to bend'

genuflect

 verb
     
gen‧u‧flect [intransitive] formal
1RRC to bend one or both knees when in church or a holy place as a sign of respect
2 to show too much respect towards someone or something - used to show disapproval [= kowtow]
genuflect to
He was a man of principle, refusing to genuflect to the party leadership.
—genuflection noun [uncountable and countable]
Definition of genuflect from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic CHRISTIANITY
Word of the Day
The CHRISTIANITY
Word of the Day is:
lay reader

Other related topics