kowtow

Definition

To kneel and bow low enough to touch one’s forehead to the ground.

Etymology

From either Cantonese 叩頭 /叩头 (kau³ tau⁴) or Mandarin 叩頭 /叩头 (kòutóu). Literally, “knock head”.

Example Sentences

• "When the weather turned cold, the tears that he shed would become frozen like veins; the blood on his forehead from kowtowing would also freeze and would not drip."
• "I suppose you're going to be nice to Odie and kowtow to Jon and lick the mailman's boots! I don't like you already."
• "The letter to Razin contained another thought that preoccupied Stalin in the first months after the war: the need to avoid “kowtowing to the West,” including showing “unwarranted respect” for the “military authorities of Germany.”"