Standard Lemma guide
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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
Demonstration of an obedient attitude, especially by bowing deeply; a deep bow which demonstrates such an attitude.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
An obedient attitude.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: obedience
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: submission, compliance
Narrower terms: truckling
noun
bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame or greeting
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: bow, bowing
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: reverence, gesture, motion
Narrower terms: genuflection, genuflexion, kowtow, kotow, scrape, scraping, salaam
History
From Middle English obeisaunce (“obedience, obeisance”), from Old French obeïssance, derived from obeïssant (“obedient”), participle of obeïr (“to obey”), from Latin oboediō, obēdiō; ob- (“to, for”) + audiō (“to hear”). Cognate with obedience.
Across languages
12 source translations are retained for this English entry.
