He had to 'grovel' to get her to accept his apology.
He made a 'groveling' apology to his girlfriend.
The peasants 'groveled' before the king.
(..) King? Pbbb. Lady, have you got your lions crossed. King? Your Majesty! I gravel at your feet. Stop it. It's not "gravel," it's "grovel." And don't; he's not the king. Are ya? No. Simba! No, I'm not the king. Maybe I was gonna be. But, that was a long time ago. Look, I'm still the same guy. (..)1994 The Lion King