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Origin and history of genuflect

genuflect(v.)

"bend the knee" as an act of worship or respect, 1620s, a back-formation from genuflection. Related: Genuflected; genuflecting.

also from 1620s

Entries linking to genuflect

genuflection(n.)

"act of bending the knee," especially in worship, early 15c., genu-fleccion, from Medieval Latin genuflectionem (nominative genuflexio) "bending of the knee," noun of action from past-participle stem of Late Latin genuflectere "genuflect," properly genu flectere "to bend the knee," from Latin genu "knee" (from PIE root *genu- (1) "knee; angle") + flectere "to bend" (see flexible).

*genu-(1)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "knee; angle."

It might form all or part of: agonic; decagon; diagonal; geniculate; genuflect; genuflection; -gon; goniometer; heptagon; hexagon; knee; kneel; octagon; orthogonal; pentagon; polygon; trigonometry.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit janu, Avestan znum, Hittite genu "knee;" Greek gony "knee," gōnia "corner, angle;" Latin genu "knee;" Old English cneo, cneow "knee."

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