What does kneel mean?
Definitions for kneel
nilkneel
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word kneel.
Princeton's WordNet
kneel, kneelingverb
supporting yourself on your knees
kneelverb
rest one's weight on one's knees
"In church you have to kneel during parts of the service"
Wiktionary
kneelverb
To stoop down and rest on the knee or knees.
Etymology: From knelen, knewlen, from cneowlian, equivalent to. Cognate with knielen, knelen, dialectal knielen, kneulen, knülen, knæle.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
To Kneelv. n.
To perform the act of genuflection; to bend the knee.
Etymology: from knee.
When thou do’st ask me blessing, I’ll kneel down,
And ask of thee forgiveness. William Shakespeare, King Lear.Ere I was risen from the place that shew’d
My duty kneeling, came a reeking post,
Stew’d in his haste, half breathing, panting forth
From Goneril, his mistress, salutation. William Shakespeare, King Lear.A certain man kneeling down to him, said, Lord, have mercy upon my son; for he is lunatick. Mat. xvii.
As soon as you are dressed, kneel and say the Lord’s prayer. Jeremy Taylor, Guide to Devotion.
Wikipedia
kneel
Kneeling is a basic human position where one or both knees touch the ground. Kneeling is defined as “to position the body so that one or both knees rest on the floor,” according to Merriam-Webster. Kneeling when only composed of one knee, and not both, is called genuflection. Kneeling is a primate behavior used to convey deference by making the figure kneeling look smaller than the other. Primates themselves establish pecking orders that are important to the survival and behavior of a group. Chimpanzees, for example, have a complex social group that involves a dominant male and corresponding female with the other submissive males and juvenile chimps. Males who threaten the hierarchy are often severely injured or killed; thus the use of submissive behavior is necessary in order to ensure survival in some instances.
ChatGPT
kneel
Kneel refers to the action of going down or resting on one's knees, often as a sign of respect, submission, or worship. It can also be used to get closer to the ground when performing certain tasks. It is a position in which the body is supported by the knees.
Webster Dictionary
Kneelverb
to bend the knee; to fall or rest on the knees; -- sometimes with down
Etymology: [OE. knelen, cneolien; akin to D. knielen, Dan. knle. See Knee.]
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Kneel
nēl, v.i. to bend the knee: to rest or fall on the knee:—pa.t. and pa.p. kneeled, knelt.—n. Kneel′er, one who kneels. [Knee.]
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Verbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'kneel' in Verbs Frequency: #1077
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of kneel in Chaldean Numerology is: 2
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of kneel in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of kneel in a Sentence
Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
When we kneel before him, he lifts us up with his great hands.
House Democrats defied history on a record of creating jobs, keeping families safe, investing in America, defending women’s freedom and the integrity of our democracy, voters rejected MAGA extremism and now House Republicans are in a state of disarray. With a razor-thin majority, Kevin McCarthy is being forced to kneel to extremism in a GOP conference that wants to ban abortion, challenge elections, hawk conspiracy theories that make us all less safe and sow even more hate and division in America.
I Lizz Milardo might choose to stand, but I believe it's her right to kneel, who are we to tell her not to ?
I think it’s heading into November and I think the president realizes his base, this is something that animates his base and he’s going to continue on with it, if the president cares about Americans' First Amendment rights, and his own First Amendment rights, and the rights of his people who support him, then he should care about the First Amendment rights of those people who have chosen to kneel during the national anthem.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for kneel
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- ركعArabic
- klečet, pokleknout, kleknoutCzech
- penlinio, penglinioWelsh
- knienGerman
- γονατίζωGreek
- genuiEsperanto
- arrodillarseSpanish
- belaunikatuBasque
- زانو زدنPersian
- polvistuaFinnish
- agenouillerFrench
- sléacht, [[téigh]] [[ar]] [[do]] [[glúine, [[bí]] [[ar]] [[do]] [[glúineIrish
- axeonllarGalician
- כָּרַעHebrew
- térdelHungarian
- lututIndonesian
- inginocchiarsiItalian
- לִכרוֹעַ בּHebrew
- 跪くJapanese
- 무릎을 꿇고, 꿇다Korean
- چهکبوونKurdish
- berlututMalay
- ဒူးထောက်Burmese
- knielenDutch
- kneleNorwegian
- ntsideegeehNavajo, Navaho
- klęczećPolish
- ajoelhar-sePortuguese
- îngenuncheaRomanian
- преклоня́ться, [[стоя́ть]] [[н]]а [[коленоRussian
- klečati, клечати, kleknuti, клекнутиSerbo-Croatian
- poklekniti, klečatiSlovene
- knäböjaSwedish
- kupiga magotiSwahili
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"kneel." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 13 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/kneel>.
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