kowtow means the act of kowtowing. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 71 out of 100.
kowtow is pronounced /ˈkaʊˌtaʊ/.
Why “kowtow” is a great word
KOWTOW — [Noun, Verb] To kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in deep respect or submission, or, by extension, to act in an obsequiously subservient manner. From either Cantonese 叩頭 (kau³ tau⁴) or Mandarin 叩頭 (kòutóu), literally meaning "knock head." Unlike "grovel," which suggests an abject, undignified scramble of fear, or "bow," a contained and often reciprocal inclination, "kowtow" is a formalized, total prostration that converts the body into a geometric proof of hierarchy. It is the hollow sound of bone on polished stone, the perfect stillness of silk pooled around a prostrate form, and the silent, unbearable geometry of a supplicant reduced to a right angle—a ritual so absolute it eventually convinces the performer of his own insignificance.
noun
- The act of kowtowing.“Three elders dressed in their long silk ceremonial gowns perform the kowtow before the altar in their clan ancestral hall.”
verb
- To kneel and bow low enough to touch one’s forehead to the ground.“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.”
- To grovel, act in a very submissive manner; to show obeisance to (someone or something) in such a manner; to bow.“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.”
- To bow very deeply.