KNEEL


Meaning of KNEEL in English

I. ˈnēl, esp before pause or consonant -ēəl intransitive verb

( knelt ˈnelt ; or kneeled ˈnē(ə)ld ; knelt or kneeled ; kneeling ; kneels )

Etymology: Middle English knelen, from Old English cnēowlian; akin to Middle Low German knēlen, Middle Dutch cnielen; denominatives from the roof of English knee (I)

1. : to bend the knee : fall or rest on the knees

knelt to drink from the spring

— sometimes used with down

kneeling down to pray

2. of a rifleman

a. : to assume a position formerly used in extended-order infantry drill in which the individual while half-faced to the right kneels on the right knee, rests the left forearm across the left thigh, and grasps a rifle in the position of order arms with the right hand above the lower band

b. : to support oneself on the knees while or for the purpose of firing a rifle

II. noun

( -s )

: an act or instance of kneeling

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.