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Today it means

kowtow

to act in an excessively submissive or deferential manner

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Where does the word "kowtow" come from? It comes from Chinese ke tou, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "kowtow" come from? It comes from Chinese ke tou, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Kowtow’s story begins in Chinese: ke tou meant “to knock one's head on the ground.” Literally "knock the head", a gesture of deep respect or submission. It reached English by 1800s as kowtow. The Macartney embassy of 1793 refused to kowtow to the Qianlong Emperor. Today, kowtow means to act in an excessively submissive or deferential manner.

  1. Stage 1 · Chinese · ancient ke tou "to knock one's head on the ground", literally "knock the head", a gesture of deep respect or submission.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s kowtow "to act in an excessively submissive manner", the Macartney embassy of 1793 refused to kowtow to the Qianlong Emperor.

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