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Sunday 2 November 2014

Sunday Rest: genuflect. Word Not To Use Today.

There's nothing wrong with genuflecting, which is the sort of upright curtsy done by some people if they need to pass in front of an especially holy bit of a church.

A genuflecter may possibly come over as a bit of an exhibitionist, and it's certainly hard on the knees, but. hey, if that's what people want to do...

Nevertheless, the word itself is horrible.

Genuflect. It sounds like a technical term for a stomach complaint. Why can't there be a nice simple old word for paying respect to God in this way?

It's enough to make one wonder if genuflecting was originally a rather unEnglish form of showing off.

Word Not To Use Today: genuflect. This word comes from the late Latin genuflectere, from Latin genu knee and flectere to bend. It was first used in English in 1630.



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