Mostly seen used in a religious connotation as used by the Catholic Church - but they don't have sole use of it
intransitive verb
1
a : to bend the knee
b : to touch the knee to the floor or ground especially in worship
2
: to be servilely obedient or respectful
verb
[no object]
lower one's body briefly by bending one knee to the ground , typically in worship or as a sign of respect.
show deference or servility:
politicians had to genuflect to the far left to advance their careers
Having said that I never kneel to anybody - mainly because I can't get back up again if I do - so I have just come to accept the fact that a knighthood or whatever the female equivalent is will never alas be mine
and by the way Marty should be caught cow towing I hope the RSPCA come down on you like a ton of bricks

I suspect however you are pushing buttons just to see who bites and really knew it was kowtowing.
Kowtow (; Cantonese: kau tàuh, khấu đầu) is the act of deep respect shown by kneeling and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground. ...
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kowtow