Chapter KOHINOR to KOTOW of K by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

In English the term, which was made familiar by Lord Amherst’s refusal to perform it at Pekin in 1816, is frequently used for servile acquiescence or adulation.

K’o-tou-k’o-tou! is often colloquially used for ‘Thank you’ (E. C. Baber).

c. b.c. 484.—“And afterwards when they were come to Susa in the king’s presence, and the guards ordered them to fall down and do obeisance, and went so far as to use force to compel them, they refused, and said they would never do any such thing, even were their heads thrust down to the ground, for it was not their custom to worship men, and they had not come to Persia for that purpose.”—Herodotus, by Rawlinson, vii. 136.

c. b.c. 464.—“Themistocles … first meets with Artabanus the Chiliarch, and tells him that he was a Greek, and wished to have an interview with the king. … But quoth he; ‘Stranger, the laws of men are various. … You Greeks, ’tis said, most admire liberty and equality, but to us of our many and good laws the best is to honour the king, and adore him by prostration, as the Image of God, the Preserver of all things.’ … Themistocles, on hearing these things, says to him: ‘But I, O Artabanus, … will myself obey your laws.’ …”—Plutarch, Themistoc., xxvii.

c. b.c. 390.—“Conon, being sent by Pharnabazus to the king, on his arrival, in accordance with Persian custom, first presented himself to the Chiliarch Tithraustes who held the second rank in the empire, and stated that he desired an interview with the king; for no one is admitted without this. The officer replied: ‘It can be at once; but consider whether you think it best to have an interview, or to write the business on which you come. For if you come into the presence you must needs worship the king (what they call [Greek Text] proskunein). If this is disagreeable to you you may commit your wishes to me, without doubt of their being as well accomplished.’ Then Conon says: ‘Indeed it is not disagreeable to me to pay the king any honour whatever. But I fear lest I bring discredit upon my city, if belonging to a state which is wont to rule over other nations I adopt manners which are not her own, but those of foreigners.’ Hence he delivered his wishes in writing to the officer.”—Corn. Nepos, Conon, c. iv.

b.c. 324.—“But he (Alexander) was now downhearted, and beginning to be despairing towards the divinity, and suspicious towards his friends. Especially he dreaded Antipater and his sons. Of these Iolas was the Chief Cupbearer, whilst Kasander had come but lately. So the latter, seeing certain Barbarians prostrating themselves ( [Greek Text] proskunountaV), a sort of thing which he, having been brought up in Greek fashion, had never witnessed before, broke into fits of laughter. But Alexander in a rage gript him fast by the hair with both hands, and knocked his head against the wall.”—Plutarch, Alexander, lxxiv.

a.d. 798.—“In the 14th year of Tchinyuan, the Khalif Galun (Harun) sent three ambassadors to the Emperor; they performed the ceremony of kneeling and beating the forehead on the ground, to salute the Emperor. The earlier ambassadors from the Khalifs who came to China had at first made difficulties about performing this ceremony. The Chinese history relates that the Mahomedans declared that they knelt only to worship Heaven. But eventually, being better informed, they made scruple no longer.”—Gaubil, Abrégé de l’Histoire des Thangs, in Amyot, Mémoires conc. les Chinois, xvi. 144.

c. 1245.—“Tartari de mandato ipsius principes suos Baiochonoy et Bato violenter ab omnibus nunciis ad ipsos venientibus faciunt adorari cum triplici genuum flexione, triplici quoque capitum suorum in terram allisione.”—Vincent Bellovacensis, Spec. Historiale, l. xxix. cap. 74.

1298.—“And when they are all seated, each in his proper place, then a great prelate rises and says with a loud voice: ‘Bow and adore!’ And as soon as he has said this, the company bow down until their foreheads touch the earth in adoration towards the Emperor as if he were a god. And this adoration they repeat four times.”—Marco Polo, Bk. ii. ch. 15.

1404.—“E ficieronle vestir dos ropas de camocan (see KINCOB), é la usanza era, quando estas roupat ponian por el Señor, de facer un gran yantar, é despues de comer de les vestir de las ropas, é entonces de fincar los finojos tres veces in tierra por reverencia del gran Señor.”—Clavijo, § xcii.

„ “And the custom was, when these robes were presented as from the Emperor, to make a great feast, and after eating to clothe them with the robes, and then that they should touch the ground three times with the knees to show great reverence for the Lord.”—See Markham, p. 104.

1421.—“His worship Hajji Yusuf the Kazi, who was … chief of one of the twelve imperial Councils, came forward accompanied by several Mussulmans acquainted with the languages. They said to the ambassadors: ‘First prostrate yourselves, and then touch the ground three times with your heads.’ ”—Embassy from Shah Rukh, in Cathay, p. ccvi.

1502.—“My uncle the elder Khan came three or four farsangs out from Tashkend, and having erected an awning, seated himself under it. The younger Khan advanced … and when he came