Word of the Day

: April 24, 2012

kowtow

verb KOW-tow

What It Means

1 : to show obsequious deference : fawn

2 : to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in token of homage, worship, or deep respect

kowtow in Context

Martin kowtows to our boss every chance he gets, complimenting him on his suits and offering favors.

"It's not honorable to kowtow to the extremes so you can preserve your political career." - From an op-ed column by David Brooks in The New York Times, February 28, 2012

Did You Know?

"Kowtow" originated as a noun referring to the act of kneeling and touching one's head to the ground as a salute or act of worship to a revered authority. In traditional China this ritual was performed by commoners making requests to the local magistrate, by the emperor to the shrine of Confucius, or by foreign representatives appearing before the emperor to establish trade relations. (In the late 18th century, some Western nations resisted performing the ritual, which acknowledged the Chinese emperor as the "son of heaven.") The word "kowtow" derives from Chinese "koutou," formed by combining the verb "kou" ("to knock") with the noun "tou" ("head"). The noun had arrived in English by 1804, and the earliest evidence for the verb dates from 1826.