genuflect

verb

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”).

1. To bend the knee, as in servitude.
2. To briefly enter a position that touches one knee to the ground in a manner that is typically associated with formal homage or religious worship.

   “At high Mass the deacon and subdeacon stand on either side, genuflect too, and answer.”

   “First you get down on your knees, fiddle with your rosaries, / Bow your head with great respect, and / genuflect, genuflect, genuflect.”

3. To behave in a servile manner; to grovel.

   “Certainly, the megalomaniacs who aim to populate municipal fixtures with registered-trademark logos will expect cities to genuflect at every turn.”