Standard Lemma guide

genuflection

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of genuflecting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the act of bending the knees in worship or reverence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: genuflexion

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bow, bowing, obeisance

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin genuflexio, though with standardized spelling. By surface analysis, genuflect (“to bend the knee”) + -ion (Latinate abstract-noun suffix).

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: кле́нчанне (kljénčannje) — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Bulgarian: колени́чене (koleníčene) — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Dutch: kniebuiging — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Finnish: polvistuminen — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • French: génuflexion — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • German: Niederknien — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • German: Kniebeuge — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • German: Kniefall — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Greek: γονυκλισία (gonyklisía) — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Icelandic: knébeyging — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Icelandic: knéfall — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Irish: umhlú — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Italian: genuflessione — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Latin: genuflexio — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Polish: klękanie — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Polish: uklęknięcie — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Portuguese: genuflexão — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Romanian: genuflexiune — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Romanian: genuflexare — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Russian: коленопреклоне́ние (kolenopreklonénije) — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Spanish: genuflexión — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Spanish: postración — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down
  • Ukrainian: колінопреклоні́ння (kolinopreklonínnja) — the act of genuflecting, in the sense of bowing down