Genuflect — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

bend the knees and bow in church or before a religious superior or image

bend the knees and bow in a servile manner

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dʒˈɛnəflˌɛkt/

🇬🇧British English

/dʒˈɛnəflˌɛkt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dʒˈɛnəflˌɛkt/

3 syllables Say it as /dʒˈɛnəflˌɛkt/.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

kowtow scrape

Word Forms

genuflection	noun	the act of bending the knees in worship or reverence
genuflexion	noun	the act of bending the knees in worship or reverence
scrape	noun	a deep bow with the foot drawn backwards (indicating excessive humility)
scraping	noun	a deep bow with the foot drawn backwards (indicating excessive humility)
kowtow	noun	a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

niederknien

Beugen Sie die Knie und verneigen Sie sich in der Kirche oder vor einem religiösen Oberen oder Bildnis

🇫🇷French

génuflexion

pliez les genoux et inclinez-vous à l'église ou devant un supérieur religieux ou une image

🇪🇸Spanish

doblar la rodilla

doblar las rodillas e inclinarse en la iglesia o ante un superior religioso o una imagen

🇮🇹Italian

genuflettersi

piegare le ginocchia e inchinarsi in chiesa o davanti a un superiore religioso o a un'immagine

🇳🇱Dutch

knielen

buig de knieën en buig in de kerk of voor een religieuze superieur of afbeelding

🇵🇹Portuguese

genuflexão

dobre os joelhos e curve-se na igreja ou diante de um superior religioso ou imagem

🇷🇺Russian

преклонять колени

преклонить колени и поклониться в церкви или перед религиозным настоятелем или изображением

India

🇮🇳Hindi

गोद में जा बैठना

चर्च में या किसी धार्मिक श्रेष्ठ या छवि के सामने घुटने मोड़ना और झुकना

🇮🇳Kannada

ಜೀನುಫ್ಲೆಕ್ಟ್

ಮೊಣಕಾಲುಗಳನ್ನು ಬಗ್ಗಿಸಿ ಮತ್ತು ಚರ್ಚ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಥವಾ ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಉನ್ನತ ಅಥವಾ ಚಿತ್ರದ ಮುಂದೆ ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸಿ

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

跪

在教堂或宗教领袖或肖像前弯曲膝盖并鞠躬

🇯🇵Japanese

ゲンフレクト

教会内、または宗教上の上司や像の前で膝を曲げてお辞儀をする

🇰🇷Korean

무릎을 꿇다

무릎을 구부리고 교회에서나 종교적인 장상이나 이미지 앞에서 절하십시오.

🇻🇳Vietnamese

quỳ gối

quỳ gối và cúi đầu trong nhà thờ hoặc trước một bề trên tôn giáo hoặc hình ảnh

🇹🇭Thai

เจนเฟล็กต์

งอเข่าและโค้งคำนับในโบสถ์หรือต่อหน้าหัวหน้านักบวชหรือรูปเคารพ

🇮🇩Indonesian

bertekuk lutut

tekuk lutut dan sujud di gereja atau di hadapan pemimpin agama atau patung

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

ركع

ثني الركبتين والانحناء في الكنيسة أو أمام رئيس ديني أو صورة

🇮🇷Persian

نثار

زانوها را خم کنید و در کلیسا یا در برابر یک مافوق یا تصویر مذهبی تعظیم کنید

🇹🇷Turkish

diz çökmek

Kilisede veya bir din amirinin veya imajının önünde diz çökün ve eğilin

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'genuflect'?

The primary meaning of 'genuflect' is 'bend the knees and bow in church or before a religious superior or image'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'genuflect' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'genuflect' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'genuflect' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'genuflect' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

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