kowtow
/ˈkaʊˌtaʊ/ verb, noun
Forms kowtows kowtowing kowtowed kotoo kotow ko-tow kow-tow
- verb (historical) To kneel and bow low enough to touch one’s forehead to the ground.
- verb (figuratively) To grovel, act in a very submissive manner; to show obeisance to (someone or something) in such a manner; to bow.
- verb To bow very deeply.
- noun The act of kowtowing.
Synonyms
dogeza kotow scrape genuflect fawn toady truckle bootlick suck up
Etymology
From either Cantonese 叩頭 /叩头 (kau³ tau⁴) or Mandarin 叩頭 /叩头 (kòutóu). Literally, “knock head”.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The same as Kotow.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “kowtow”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details