genuflect
Definitions
To bend one knee to the ground, especially in worship or as a sign of respect.
单膝下跪（尤指礼拜或表示敬意）
To behave in a servile or fawning way; to show exaggerated deference.
卑躬屈膝，谄媚逢迎
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedgenu (Latin for 'knee') + flect (bend) = 'bend the knee.' Unusually for this family, the prefix slot is filled by a body part rather than a direction. The literal act of kneeling in church gave rise to the figurative sense: to genuflect to power is to grovel before it.
Root flect still carries 6 more wordsWhy It Means This
genu is the Latin word for 'knee' (the same source as the anatomical term 'genu' and Italian 'ginocchio'). The word started in religious ritual — Catholics genuflect when entering a pew. From the bowed-knee image it grew a sharp figurative edge: to genuflect to a boss or a trend is to abase yourself before it, treating it with the reverence due to an altar.
Common Collocations
- 1.genuflect before在…前屈膝下跪
- 2.genuflect to向…屈膝
Example Sentences
- 1.
The worshippers genuflected before the altar.
- 2.
Critics say the company genuflects to every passing trend.
- 3.
He refused to genuflect to anyone in power.