Gonupeteo (γονυπετέω) means to kneel down or fall on one's knees before someone. It combines gony (knee) and pipto (to fall). It appears 4 times in the New Testament — twice of people coming to Jesus in urgent need (Matthew 17:14 — the father of the epileptic boy; Mark 10:17 — the rich young ruler), and once of mockers at the crucifixion (Matthew 27:29).
Gonupeteo captures the posture of extreme need and reverence — falling to the knees before one who holds power over your situation. The father of the epileptic son (Matthew 17:14) demonstrates what desperate faith looks like: he falls to his knees before Jesus because everything else has failed. The rich young ruler (Mark 10:17) kneels with urgent spiritual seeking but then walks away. The Roman soldiers kneel in mockery (Matthew 27:29). The same posture can be genuine worship, desperate faith, or contemptuous theater — the heart determines the meaning. The Christian posture of prayer — bending the knee — is the body's confession that Jesus is Lord.