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1. A former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission
   - kotow

1. Bend the knees and bow in a servile manner
   - scrape, genuflect
    
2. Try to gain favour by cringing or flattering
   "He is always kowtowing to his boss";
   - fawn, toady, truckle, bootlick [informal], kotow, suck up [informal], smoodge [Austral, informal]

Derived forms: kowtowed, kowtowing, kowtows

Type of: blandish, bow[2], bowing, flatter, obeisance

Encyclopedia: Kowtow