obeisance

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English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English obeisaunce (obedience, obeisance), from Old French obeïssance, derived from obeïssant (obedient), participle of obeïr (to obey), from Latin oboedire, obedire; ob- (to, for) + audire (to hear). Cognate with obedience.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /əˈbiː.səns/
  • (UK) IPA(key): /əʊˈbeɪ.səns/, /əˈbeɪ.səns/
  • (US) IPA(key): /oʊˈbeɪ.səns/, /oʊˈbiː.səns/
  • Hyphenation: o‧bei‧sance
  • Rhymes: -eɪsəns

Noun

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obeisance (countable and uncountable, plural obeisances)

  1. Demonstration of an obedient attitude, especially by bowing deeply; a deep bow which demonstrates such an attitude.
    • 1845 February, — Quarles [pseudonym; Edgar Allan Poe], “The Raven”, in The American Review[1], volume I, number II, New York, N.Y., London: Wiley & Putnam, [], →OCLC:
      In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore; / Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
    • 1915 April, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], “Alone the Immortals”, in Fifty-one Tales, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, →OCLC:
      But looking upwards in the blaze of the moon I suddenly saw colossi sitting near, and towering up and blotting out the stars and filling the night with blackness; and at those idols’ feet I saw praying and making obeisance kings and the days that are and all times and all cities and all nations and all their gods.
    • 1962, J. L. Austin, How To Do Things With Words, OUP paperback edition, page 69:
      The situation in the case of actions which are non-linguistic but similar to performative utterances in that they are the performance of a conventional action (here ritual or ceremonial) is rather like this: suppose I bow deeply before you; it might not be clear whether I am doing obeisance to you or, say, stooping to observe the flora or to ease my indigestion.
  2. An obedient attitude.

Usage notes

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  • Usually in the phrases do obeisance or make obeisance.

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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