noun
obeisance
oh-BEE-suns/əʊˈbiːsns/
Respectful submission to someone's authority.
The younger adult bows deeply in obeisance before the acknowledging elder.
Etymology
Originally an act or state of obeying, obeisance shifted from submission to its respectful expression. Under the influence of “abase,” it came to include a bow or bodily lowering as a gesture of deference.
In context
everyone knelt down in obeisance your Majesty we pay our respects to your Majesty
More examples
- He refuses to pay obeisance to a leader he distrusts.
- The ceremony requires an obeisance before the throne.
- Her public obeisance to the board conceals her private objections.
Forms
obeisance · obeisances
Similar words
- deference
- Emphasizes yielding respectfully to another's judgment, wishes, or position.
- homage
- Emphasizes expressed honor or admiration rather than submission to authority.
- submission
- Emphasizes accepting another's control, without necessarily showing respect.