obeisance
noun
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When it first appeared in English in the 14th century, obeisance shared the same meaning as obedience. This makes sense given that obeisance can be traced back to the Anglo-French word obeir, a verb meaning “to obey” that is also an ancestor of English’s obey. The other senses of obeisance also date from the 14th century, but they have stood the test of time whereas the “obedience” sense is now obsolete... or is it? Recent evidence suggests that obeisance is starting to be used again as an (often disparaging) synonym of obedience; for example, a politician deemed too easily swayed by others may be said to have pledged obeisance to party leaders or malign influences.
Examples of obeisance in a Sentence
Chris Lee, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024
Thus would a medieval liege lord have accepted obeisance from his vassals; all that was missing was the flicker of torchlight and the haunch of venison turning on its spit.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
Mamet is the series’ comic highlight, ping-ponging between tantrums, whines and sickly-sweet pleas with the volatility of an overgrown toddler; Jackson’s Misia receives these outbursts with an obeisance that is eventually pushed to the point of breaking.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 July 2024
Americans need to shake off the shackles of obeisance to technocrats.
—Danielle Allen, Foreign Affairs, 1 June 2020
See all Example Sentences for obeisance 
Dictionary Entries Near obeisance
Cite this Entry
“Obeisance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obeisance. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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obeisance
noun
-ˈbās-
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