To go down on one's knees; to assume a kneeling position as an act of respect, prayer, or submission.
From Old English 'cnewlian' or 'cneowlian,' derived from 'cneow' (knee). The word has existed in English for over a thousand years with consistent meaning.
Kneeling means different things in different contexts—submission, prayer, respect, or protest—which is why taking a knee during the National Anthem became so controversial; the same gesture held opposite meanings to different people.
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