This is the 2252nd most frequent French word.
genou
Knee.
Here, 'genou' refers directly to the anatomical part of the body, the knee.
Il s'est blessé au genou en jouant au football.
He injured his knee while playing football.
In this sentence, 'à genoux' describes the specific posture of being on one’s knees, indicating an action and a position.
Elle s'est mise à genoux pour prier.
She got down on her knees to pray.
This sentence uses 'genoux' to describe the joints on the horse’s legs corresponding to knees in humans, indicating a similarity in anatomy.