go to Canossa

verb

To submit to the pope.

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Meanings

verbgo to Canossa (third-person singular simple present goes to Canossa, present participle going to Canossa, simple past went to Canossa, past participle gone to Canossa)

present singular third person goes to Canossa · participle present going to Canossa · past went to Canossa · participle past gone to Canossa

  1. idiomaticTo submit to the pope.
  2. idiomaticTo show humility, to be humbled.

Origin

From the repentance of Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV to Pope Gregory VII after his excommunication for appointing bishops.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French aller à Canossa
  • aller à CanossaTranslations
Swedish gå till Canossa
  • gå till CanossaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

go to Canossa. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20to%20Canossa

MLA

“go to Canossa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20to%20Canossa. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “go to Canossa,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20to%20Canossa.

Source: go to Canossa on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.