Kneel Meaning
/niːl/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position.
verbTo sink down so that the entrance is level with the pavement, making it easier for passengers to enter.
Sentence Examples
Why do people kneel down to pray?
Sami made Layla kneel in front of him.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The king commanded the loyal subject to ____ before him as a sign of respect.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The knight had to ____ before the king as a sign of respect and loyalty during the official ceremony.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English knelen, from Old English cnēowlian (“to kneel”), equivalent to knee + -le. Cognate with Dutch knielen, Low German knelen, dialectal German knielen, Alemannic German chnüle, Danish knæle, all meaning “to kneel”.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"When the flames at last began to flicker and subside, his lids fluttered, then drooped ; but he had lost all reckoning of time when he opened them again to find Miss Erroll in furs kneeling on the hearth and heaping kindling on the coals, and her pretty little Alsatian maid beside her, laying a log across the andirons."
— 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter III, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
"Raising the girl with unexpected strength, she bore her towards the chapel, the firesparks flickered in her eyes, as she knelt her burden against the altar step."
— 1898, K.L. Montgomery, “The Red Rosary”, in The Ludgate Illustrated Magazine, volume 6, page 47:
"Kneel him down and stick his head in. No, don't let him up, just hold him there."
— 2007, Norman Horrod, On a Different Note, page 47:
"He took the wife in his car to the piney woods outside town, and knelt her down."
— 2011, Joseph T. Wells, Fraud Fighter: My Fables and Foibles, page 201:
"Just when the damsel kneeled herself to pray."
— 1833, Robert Pollok, “The Course of Time”, in The Poetical Works of Hemans, Heber, and Pollok, page 33:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The king commanded the loyal subject to ____ before him as a sign of respect.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The knight had to ____ before the king as a sign of respect and loyalty during the official ceremony.