kowtow

[kou-tou, -tou, koh-]

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verb (used without object)

to act in an obsequious manner; show servile deference.

to touch the forehead to the ground while kneeling, as an act of worship, reverence, apology, etc., especially in former Chinese custom.

noun

the act of kowtowing.

Also kotow.

Origin of kowtow

First recorded in 1795–1805, kowtow is from the Chinese word kòutóu literally, knock (one's) head

Related formskow·tow·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for kowtow

pander, genuflect, fawn, court, flatter, bow, stoop, fold, cower, prostrate, cringe, kneel

Examples from the Web for kowtow

Contemporary Examples of kowtow

And, of course, all these people had to kowtow and sell to Saatchi.
Joshua Compston Was Once the Wunderkind of the British Art World…and Now He’s Been Practically Forgotten
Anthony Haden-Guest
January 17, 2014
If President Obama wants to kowtow more to "the markets" (Wall Street), he might appoint someone like Summers or Rubin.
Stop the Madness!
August 8, 2011
He likes to remind people that he supports abortion rights and does not kowtow to the fire-breathers in the Republican ranks.
Can Obama Save His Seat?
Dirk Johnson
October 28, 2010

Historical Examples of kowtow

And yet he did not move—he made no movement save to kowtow for mercy with his head.
Wang the Ninth
Putnam Weale
No matter how servile he may be at home, everyone will kowtow to him abroad.
Villa Elsa
Stuart Henry
Li stood there behind her and made a sign to us to kowtow to her.
Two Years in the Forbidden City
The Princess Der Ling
We had to kowtow again in thanking Her Majesty for her kindness and finally she said: "Nemen tzowba" (you can go now).
Two Years in the Forbidden City
The Princess Der Ling
I think it is perfectly frightful the way we bow down and kowtow to your beast—the great god Cash!
Pirates' Hope
Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for kowtow

kowtow

verb (intr)

to touch the forehead to the ground as a sign of deference: a former Chinese custom

(often foll by to) to be servile or obsequious (towards)

noun

the act of kowtowing

Derived Formskowtower, noun

Word Origin for kowtow

C19: from Chinese k'o t'ou, from k'o to strike, knock + t'ou head

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for kowtow

also kow-tow, 1804, from Chinese k'o-t'ou custom of touching the ground with the forehead to show respect or submission, literally "knock the head," from k'o "knock, bump" + t'ou "head." The verb in the figurative sense of "act in an obsequious manner" is from 1826. Related: Kowtowed; kowtowing.