kotow
- noun
- /ˈkoʊtaʊ/
- Archaic
:
kotow
- She knelt down and touched her forehead to the ground in a traditional kotow to honor her elders.
Examples
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The ambassador was required to perform the kotow before the emperor.
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She gave a deep kotow to show her submission.
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He refused to do the kotow, insisting on maintaining his dignity.
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Historical accounts describe the kotow as a symbol of absolute submission.
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He performed a kotow before the emperor.
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During the ceremony, he showed his respect by performing a deep kotow before the ancestral altar.
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In ancient China, the kotow was an important ritual that demonstrated loyalty and submission to authority.
Synonyms
9
2.0
Being on your knees as a sign of respect or worship
7
6.2
A polite gesture of bending the knees and lowering the body, often by women
1
2.7
Bending the head or upper body forward to show respect
1
9.9
A deep bow made by moving one foot back to show respect
1
9.9
An act of kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground to show deep respect
1
9.0
Lying stretched out on the ground as a sign of respect or worship
How Respectful
Surface Forms
Etymology
Kotow comes from the Chinese phrase kòu tóu, which literally means 'knock head' and gives the image of kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground to show deep respect. So to kotow is to show complete submission or respect, like a very deep bow or kneel.