Nearby Words
verb (used without object)
1.
to act in an obsequious manner; show servile deference.
2.
to touch the forehead to the ground while kneeling, as an act of worship, reverence, apology, etc., especially in former Chinese custom.
noun
3.
the act of kowtowing.
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Kowtow
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to flee; abscond: |
Also, kotow.
Origin:
1795–1805; < Chinese kòutóu literally, knock (one's) head
1795–1805; < Chinese kòutóu literally, knock (one's) head
Related forms
kow·tow·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To kowtow
Example Sentences
- Unlike the others, he was apparently unable to kowtow sufficiently and show the respect demanded by them.
- Mexico has good reason to kowtow now and in the forseeable future.
- Humanities scholars should not ignore science or reject it in kneejerk fashion, but neither should they kowtow to it.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
kowtow
1804 (n.), from Chinese k'o-t'ou custom of touching the ground with the forehead to show respect or submission, lit. "knock the head," from k'o "knock, bump" + t'ou "head." The verb in the fig. sense of "act in an obsequious manner" is from 1826.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
kowtow
in traditional China, the act of supplication made by an inferior to his superior by kneeling and knocking his head to the floor. This prostration ceremony was most commonly used in religious worship, by commoners who came to make a request of the local district magistrate, and by officials and representatives of foreign powers who came into the presence of the emperor. By the Ming period (1368-1644), the ritual, especially as made to the shrine of Confucius by the emperor and to the emperor by his officials and foreign envoys, involved "three kneelings and nine prostrations."
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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