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kowtow

Etymology and origin of the English word kowtow

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkaʊˌtaʊ/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Chinese (Mandarin) kòutóu,[2][3][4] older k'o-t'ou,[5][6] literally “knock the head”,[5][6][4] from kòu “to knock” and tóu “head”.[2][6][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The former Chinese custom of kneeling and touching the ground with the forehead to show respect or submission (1804, as koo-too).[5][6][3]

Semantic evolution

The verb appeared in 1826 in the figurative sense of acting obsequiously,[6][5][3] and only later (1848) in the literal sense of performing the kowtow.[6] The noun, too, came to mean any act of slavish submission (1834).[5][2]

Timeline

  • 1795–1805 – Random House's dating.[4]
  • 1804 – the Chinese custom.[5][6][3]
  • 1826 – verb, to act obsequiously.[6][5][3]
  • 1834 – an act of slavish submission.[5]
  • 1848 – verb, to perform the kowtow.[6]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To show servile deference; to fawn.
  2. To kneel and touch the forehead to the ground as a sign of deep respect, worship or submission, as formerly done in China.

Noun

  1. The act of kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground.
  2. An obsequious act.

Word family

  • kowtower

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Kowtow.” Etymologically, 14 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/kowtow. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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