kneel

Etymology

From Middle English knelen, knewlen, from Old English cnēowlian (“to kneel”), equivalent to knee + -le. Cognate with Dutch knielen (“to kneel”), Low German knelen (“to kneel”), dialectal German knielen, kneulen, knülen (“to kneel”), Danish knæle (“to kneel”).

verb

1. (intransitive) To rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position.
2. (intransitive, of a bus or other vehicle) To sink down so that the entrance is level with the pavement, making it easier for passengers to enter.
3. (transitive) To cause to kneel.
   She knelt the doll to fit it into the box.
   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
4. (reflexive, archaic) To rest on (one's) knees
   He knelt him down to pray.
   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