obeisance

plural obeisances · alternative obeisaunce · alternative obeissance · alternative abaisance

1. countableuncountableDemonstration of an obedient attitude, especially by bowing deeply; a deep bow which demonstrates such an attitude.

   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;

   1845 February, — Quarles [pseudonym; Edgar Allan Poe], “The Raven”, in The American Review, volume I, number II, New York, N.Y.; London: Wiley & Putnam, […], →OCLC

   2 more examples

   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.

   1915 April, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], “Alone the Immortals”, in Fifty-one Tales, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, →OCLC

   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.

   1962, J. L. Austin, How To Do Things With Words, OUP paperback edition, page 69

2. countableuncountableAn obedient attitude.