knelt

Knelt is the past tense and past participle of kneel, the verb meaning to rest on one or both knees by bending the body forward. The action is commonly performed as a sign of reverence, prayer, oath, submission, or respect, though it can also occur during ordinary tasks such as tying a shoe. In narrative prose, knelt is used to describe completed actions in the past.

The verb kneel and its forms are irregular in English. In modern usage, knelt is the standard past tense in many varieties, while kneeled is common in American English. Both knelt and kneeled serve as the past participle (as in "he has knelt" or "he has kneeled"). The pronunciation is typically /nɛlt/.

Etymology traces knelt to Old English and Proto-Germanic roots associated with the knee; the form evolved as a past tense of kneel. The semantic field includes religious ritual, fealty or submission to authority, and gestures of respect, as well as everyday actions that involve lowering the body.