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KOWTOW DEFINITIONS - 8 definitions found
KOWTOW was my What's The Word? choice for Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008
kowtow n 1: a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission [syn: kowtow, kotow] v 1: bend the knees and bow in a servile manner [syn: scrape, kowtow, genuflect] 2: try to gain favor by cringing or flattering; "He is always kowtowing to his boss" [syn: fawn, toady, truckle, bootlick, kowtow, kotow, suck up] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) kowtow I. noun Etymology: Chinese (Beijing) kòutóu, from kòu to knock + tóu head Date: 1804 an act of kowtowing II. intransitive verb Date: 1826 1. to show obsequious deference ; fawn <kowtows to the boss> 2. to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in token of homage, worship, or deep respect Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary kowtow also kow-tow (kowtows, kowtowing, kowtowed) If you say that someone kowtows to someone else, you are criticizing them because they are too eager to obey or be polite to someone in authority. (INFORMAL) See how stupidly they kow-tow to persons higher in the hierarchy. VERB: V to n, also V [disapproval] English Explanatory Dictionary kowtow ˈkauˈtau n. & v. (also kotow) hist. --n. the Chinese custom of kneeling and touching the ground with the forehead in worship or submission. --v.intr. 1 perform the kowtow. 2 (usu. foll. by to) act obsequiously. [Chin. ketou f. ke knock + tou head] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Kowtow \Kow*tow"\, n. & v. i. The same as Kotow. I have salaamed and kowtowed to him. --H. James. English Explanatory Dictionary (Synonyms) kowtow ˈkauˈtau v. Often, kowtow to. genuflect (before), salaam (to), prostrate oneself (before), bow (down) (to or before), pay court to, scrape before, cringe before, fawn (before), grovel (before), toady ((up) to), pander to, truckle ((up) to), dance attendance on, Colloq butter up, Slang suck up to, play up to, shine up to, Taboo slang US brown-nose: He kowtows to anyone who he thinks may be of use to him. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 75 Moby Thesaurus words for "kowtow": apple-polish, bend, bend the knee, bend the neck, bend to, bending the knee, bob, bob a curtsy, bob down, bootlick, bow, bow and scrape, bow down, bow the head, bow to, bowing and scraping, brown-nose, butter up, cower, crawl, creep, cringe, cringe to, crouch, crouch before, curtsy, dance attendance on, dipping the colors, do homage, do obeisance, duck, fall down before, fawn, flatter, genuflect, genuflection, grovel, homage, inclination, kneel, kneel to, kneeling, knuckle to, lick the dust, lickspittle, make a leg, make a reverence, make obeisance, making a leg, nod, obeisance, obsequiousness, pander to, pay court to, play up to, presenting arms, prostration, reverence, salaam, salutation, salute, scrape, servility, shine up to, squat, standing at attention, stoop, submission, submissiveness, suck up to, supination, toadeat, toady, truckle, truckle to |
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