Definitions
try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
Word origin
From either Cantonese 叩頭 /叩头 (kau³ tau⁴) or Mandarin 叩頭 /叩头 (kòutóu). Literally, “knock head”.
Used in a sentence
“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.”
“Three elders dressed in their long silk ceremonial gowns perform the kowtow before the altar in their clan ancestral hall.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Act overly submissive”6 letters
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