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Today's Word "Kowtow"
"'I ain't going to kowtow to her, mind,' said Granny. 'You never kowtow to anyone anyway,' said Nanny Ogg patiently. 'You never bowed to the old king.'" -- Terry Pratchett, 'Lords and Ladies'
Today's word comes from Mandarin Chinese kou tou "a kowtow" from kou "to strike" + tou "head," meaning prostrate genuflection before a potentate or religious shrine. It demonstrated absolute surrender of one's will to that of someone highly respected.
This news arrived on: 09/09/2004
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Posted Comments:
09-23-2008 13:27
irene wrote:
i just wish this site would give us words we could learn for everyday use. when was the last time you heard the word kowtow or most of the other words on this site? why even bother?
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