obsequence

[ ob-si-kwuhns ]

noun

1. willingness or eagerness to comply, please, serve, etc.; obsequiousness.

Word History and Origins

Origin of obsequence¹

1595–1605; < Latin obsequentia, equivalent to obsequent-, stem of obsequēns present participle of obsequī to comply with ( obsequious ) + -ia -ia

Example Sentences

It's nice to see a city that refuses to be bulldozed by the NFL bully into destroying neighborhoods, floating bonds, and in general, bowing obsequence to a group that is becoming more and more noted for its crimes, lawlessness, and danger, than sport.

From New York Times

Beginning with his hardscrabble boyhood on a Texas farm, he has been irresistibly drawn to wealth and power and has managed, by an adroit mixture of dash and obsequence, to gain both.

From Time Magazine Archive