genuflect
2 synonyms for genuflect, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To bend the knee, as a sign of submission.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Etymology
PIE word *ǵónu From around 1620–1630 from Medieval Latin genūflectō (“to bend the knee”) equivalent to the Latin genū (“knee”) + flectō (“to bend”).
Full origin of genuflect →