Definition

Noun: 1. A board (sometimes cushioned) for someone to kneel on: A piece of furniture or equipment, often found in churches or for gardening, designed to support a person's knees while kneeling. 2. A person in a kneeling position: An individual who is currently kneeling or who kneels, often in a context of prayer, submission, or a specific task.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Object):
  • The old wooden kneeler in the chapel was worn smooth by generations of worshippers.
  • Gardening is easier on your back when you use a padded kneeler.
• Noun (Person):
  • The devout kneeler prayed silently at the altar.
  • In the ceremony, the kneelers bowed their heads in unison.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in religious contexts to describe both the object (the kneeler in a pew) and the person (a faithful kneeler).
• It can be used descriptively to categorize someone based on their habitual posture or action, e.g., distinguishing a "sitter" from a "kneeler" in a particular setting.

Variants and Related Words

• Kneel (verb): To rest on one's knees.
  • The congregation will kneel for the prayer.
• Kneeling (noun/adj): The action or position of being on one's knees.
  • She assumed a kneeling position.

Synonyms

• For the object: Hassock, prayer bench, genuflectory.
• For the person: One who kneels, supplicant (in a religious/pleading context).

Related Phrases

• To be at one's kneeler: (Idiomatic, rare) To be in the act of praying or kneeling, typically in a dedicated spot.
  • Each morning, he was found at his kneeler.

Noun

1. a board (sometimes cushioned) for someone to kneel on
2. a person in a kneeling position