OBEISANCE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does obeisance mean? 

• OBEISANCE (noun)
  The noun OBEISANCE has 2 senses:

1. bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame or greeting

2. the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person

  Familiarity information: OBEISANCE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OBEISANCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame or greeting

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

bow; bowing; obeisance

Hypernyms ("obeisance" is a kind of...):

reverence (an act showing respect (especially a bow or curtsy))

gesture; motion (the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "obeisance"):

genuflection; genuflexion (the act of bending the knees in worship or reverence)

kotow; kowtow (a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission)

scrape; scraping (a deep bow with the foot drawn backwards (indicating excessive humility))

salaam (a deep bow; a Muslim form of salutation)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

obedience; obeisance

Hypernyms ("obeisance" is a kind of...):

compliance; submission (the act of submitting; usually surrendering power to another)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "obeisance"):

truckling (the act of obeying meanly (especially obeying in a humble manner or for unworthy reasons))

Derivation:

obey (be obedient to)

 Context examples 

They took their hats off and made obeisance and many signs, which, however, I could not understand any more than I could their spoken language....

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

There flies the prince's banner, and it would be well that we haste ashore and pay our obeisance to him.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Mr. Littimer, without being at all discomposed, signified by a slight obeisance, that anything that was most agreeable to us was most agreeable to him; and began again.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

We passed through several apartments, between servants of the same sort, ranked on each side as before, till we came to the chamber of presence; where, after three profound obeisances, and a few general questions, we were permitted to sit on three stools, near the lowest step of his highness’s throne.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

The two gentlemen left Rosings the next morning, and Mr. Collins having been in waiting near the lodges, to make them his parting obeisance, was able to bring home the pleasing intelligence, of their appearing in very good health, and in as tolerable spirits as could be expected, after the melancholy scene so lately gone through at Rosings.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)