Definition

1. Verb:

   • To kneel and touch the forehead to the ground as a sign of deep respect, submission, or worship, especially in historical Chinese custom.
   • To act in an obsequious, servile, or excessively flattering manner towards someone in order to gain favor.

2. Noun:

   • The act of kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground as a formal gesture of respect or submission.
   • (Figuratively) Obsequious or servile behavior.

Usage

• As a Verb:

  • The historical meaning describes a formal, physical act of prostration.
  • The modern, figurative meaning describes a psychological or behavioral act of extreme subservience.
  • It is often used critically to describe someone who sacrifices their dignity or principles to please an authority figure.

• As a Noun:

  • The noun form is less common than the verb form in modern usage.
  • It refers to the act itself, either the physical gesture or the figurative behavior.

Examples

• Verb:

  • In imperial China, foreign ambassadors were sometimes required to kotow before the Emperor.
  • He refuses to kotow to corporate pressure and always speaks his mind.
  • She is always kotowing to her professor, hoping for a better grade.

• Noun:

  • The ceremony involved three full kotows.
  • His constant kotow to management made him unpopular with his colleagues.

Advanced Usage

• "To kotow to someone/something": This is the standard prepositional phrase used with the verb. It indicates the target of the obsequious behavior.
  • Politicians should not kotow to special interest groups.
• The word carries a strong negative connotation when used in its figurative sense, implying a lack of integrity or independence.

Variants and Related Words

• Kowtow: This is the more common modern spelling of the word. "Kotow" is an older variant. Both have identical meanings and pronunciations (/ˈkaʊ.taʊ/).
• Prostration (n): The act of lying stretched out on the ground face down, often in reverence or submission. This is a more general term.
• Obsequiousness (n): The quality of being obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree. This is a close synonym for the figurative meaning.

Synonyms

• Verb (Figurative): Fawn, grovel, toady, bootlick, suck up (informal), flatter servilely.
• Noun (Act): Prostration, bow, homage (though homage is more respectful and less servile).

Phrasal Verbs / Common Collocations

• Kotow to: This is the essential and almost exclusive collocation for the verb.
  • The dictator expected everyone to kotow to his every whim.

Related Idioms

• While "kotow" itself is not typically part of a larger English idiom, the concept is related to expressions like:
  • "Bow and scrape": To behave in a servile or obsequious way.
  • "Kiss someone's feet": To show extreme admiration or subservience.

Noun

1. a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission

Verb

1. try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
   • He is always kowtowing to his boss