▪ I. humble, a.1
(ˈhʌmb(ə)l)
Forms: 3–6 umble, 4– humble, (4–5 humbyll, 5 oumbbylle, 6 humbul). See also humile.
[a. OF. umble, humble (12th c. in Littré):—L. humil-em low, lowly, small, slight, mean, insignificant, base, f. humus ground, earth. The h was originally mute as in F.; the pronunciation (ˈʌmb(ə)l) has prevailed down to the 19th c. See also the doublet humile.]
1. Having a low estimate of one's importance, worthiness, or merits; marked by the absence of self-assertion or self-exaltation; lowly: the opposite of proud. a. Of persons.
| c 1250 Old Kent. Serm. in O.E. Misc. 30 Ure lord god almichti..þurch his grace maked of þo euele manne good man, of þe orgeilus umble. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶686 Humble folk been cristes freendes. c 1430 Lydg. Hors, Shepe, & G. 79 Vnto the wolffe contrarye of nature..is this oumbbylle best [sheep]. 1548 Hall Chron., Edw. IV 194 b, Neither to wanton nor to humble. 1607 Shakes. Timon iii. v. 7, I am an humble Sutor to your Vertues. 1640 J. Dyke Worthy Commun. 130 Christ was humble, they are proud. c 1718 Prior Solomon iii. 875 Thy sum of duty let two words contain..Be humble, and be just. 1852 Robertson Serm. Ser. iii. xviii. (1882) 241 God..places the humble consistent follower and the broken-hearted sinner on a level. Mod. A humble follower of the Master. |
b. Of qualities, attributes, actions, etc.
| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus i. 68 (124) She hym thonkyd oft in humble chere. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 64 There ben louers of such a sort, That feignen hem an humble port. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxi. 130 (1845) 154 His umble service we pray you alow. 1552 Bk. Com. Prayer, Morn. Pr., I praye and beseche you..to accompany me wyth a pure heart and humble voyce. 1662 Ibid., Gen. Thanksgiving, We thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks. 1727 Swift Gulliver iii. i, I..spoke in the humblest accent. 1818 B. O'Reilly Greenland 95 There can be..in my humble opinion, no doubt on the subject. 1841 Elphinstone Hist. Ind. II. 475 He..made the humblest professions of fidelity. |
c. Used formally, esp. in subscriptions to letters, in addressing a person regarded as one's superior. your humble: used ellipt. for ‘your humble servant’.
| c 1386 Chaucer Clerk's T. 768, I neuere heeld me lady ne maistresse But humble seruant to youre worthynesse. 1414 Rolls Parlt. IV. 22/2 Oure soverain Lord, youre humble and trewe lieges that ben come for the Co[mmun]e of youre lond. 1450 Paston Lett. No. 76 I. 99 Sheweth and piteuously compleyneth youre humble trewe obeisantes Comunes. 1471 Ibid. No. 670 III. 8 Your humbylest servaunt, J. of Gelston. 1649 Nicholas Papers (Camden) 169 Your Majesties most faithfull and most humble subject and servant, Ormonde. 1653 Walton Angler Ep. Ded. 6, I am really, Sir, Your most affectionate Friend, and most humble Servant, Iz. Wa. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 118 ¶8 The humble Petition of Penelope Prim, Widow. 1765 Foote Commissary ii. Wks. 1799 II. 32 Madam Mechlin, your humble. 1806 T. S. Surr Winter in Lond. (ed. 3) III. 117 His coldness has driven them from his mansion to that of your humble servant. 1808 in Sir J. Sinclair's Corr. (1831) II. 55, I have the honour to be, Dear Sir, your faithful humble servant, Wm. Pinkney. 1835 Dickens Let. 2 May (1965) I. 58 The next stage, your humble, caught them before they had changed. 1926 D. H. Lawrence Let. 4 Jan. (1962) II. 875 As for your humble, he says his say in bits. 1929 Kipling Limits & Renewals (1932) 359 ‘And where does he get his champagne?’ ‘From grateful appendices—same as your bloody 'umble,’ said Scree. |
2. a. Of lowly condition, rank, or estate; of modest dimensions; modest, unpretentious.
| c 1386 Humble bed [see humblehede]. c 1400 Rom. Rose 6148 Sikerest hyding Is undirneth humblest clothing. 1548 Hall Chron., Rich. III 46 An humble page. 1601 Shakes. All's Well i. iii. 162, I am from humble, he from honored name. 1621 T. Williamson tr. Goulart's Wise Vieillard A iij, A man of an obscure and humble condition. 1791 Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest ix, She retired to her humble bed. 1852 G. Long Pref. Caesar's Comm. 9 An humble friend, a man unknown to fame. 1894 J. T. Fowler Adamnan Introd. 38 A church or oratory of humble character. Mod. The duties of a humble station. |
† b. Of local situation: Low-lying, not elevated.
| 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. July 13 In humble dales is footing fast, the trode is not so tickle. 1681 Cotton Wond. Peak 82 Upon a Terrass, as most Houses high, Though from this prospect humble to your eye. 1729 S. Switzer Hydrost. & Hydraul. 40 The Rivers Rea and Isis, which break out..in the County of Oxon..draw their original from so humble a Plain, that there is scarce any Declivity sufficient for their Current. Ibid. 75 Water is conveyed with more Ease into the humble Plains below. |
c. Of plants: Low-growing. (Now often with some fig. notion of a.)
| 1658 Willsford Secrets Nat. 53 These Dews..being observed much more..upon the humble shrub, then upon trees. 1796 Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) III. 601 It is a smaller and more humble plant than the G. sanguineum. 1860 Ruskin Mod. Paint. V. vi. x. §24. 102 Lichen, and mosses (..for the most part humblest of the green things that live). Mod. The species are mostly of humble growth. |
d. humble plant: the common Sensitive plant.
| 1664 Power Exp. Philos. 80 That all Vegetables (as well as the Sensitive and humble Plants) have this latter kind of Sensation, as well as Animals. 1688 R. Holme Armoury ii. 114/1 The Humble Plant will fall of its own accord, when you come near it. 1796 Marshall Garden. xix. (1813) 341 Humble plant is one of the sensitives, the property of which is to close its leaves or drop them upon being touched. 1884 Miller Plant-n., Humble Plant, Mimosa pudica. |
3. Comb. parasynthetic, as humble-hearted, humble-minded, humble-mouthed, humble-spirited, humble-visaged adjs.; whence humble-mindedness, etc.; quasi-advb. in humble-acting adj.
| 1573 New Custom i. ii. in Hazl. Dodsley III. 16 The humble-spirited is termed a fool or a lout. 1580 Sidney Arcadia (1622) 136 Humble-heartednes and harty earnestnesse. 1580 T. Pounde in H. Foley Jesuits in Conflict (1873) 109 That might soe be amonge the humble-minded. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. ii. i. 34 Like humble visag'd suters. 1613 ― Hen. VIII, ii. iv. 107 Y'are meek, and humble-mouth'd. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 442 ¶3 Whether the Ambitious or Humble-minded. 1738 Wesley Wks. (1872) XII. 34 A serious humble-acting Christian. 1893 Athenæum 24 June 790/2 His truthfulness was not less conspicuous than the humblemindedness of which it was the parent. 1905 W. James Mem. & Stud. (1911) v. 77 It must be confessed that T. D. never was exactly humble-minded. 1961 New Eng. Bible Matt. xi. 29 Bend your necks to my yoke, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble-hearted. ― 1 Pet. iii. 8 Be full of brotherly affection, kindly and humble-minded. |
▪ II. humble, a.2
see hummel a.
▪ III. humble, v.1
[f. humble a.]
1. trans. To render humble or meek in spirit; to cause to think more lowly of oneself.
| 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. ii. iv. 137 Loue's a mighty Lord, And hath so humbled me. 1659 Hammond On Ps. cii. 14 If they shall be truly sensible of thy punishments, and humbled for their sins. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) II. 39 An account of the lowliness of our own origin, if it cannot amuse, will at least serve to humble us. 1879 C. Rossetti Seek & F. 161 When we ask to be humbled, we must not recoil from being humiliated. |
2. To lower in dignity, position, condition, or degree; to bring low, abase.
| 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop iv. xx, The prowde shall be allway humbled. 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. i. i. 472 All humbled on your knees. 1611 Bible Deut. xxii. 24 Because he hath humbled his neighbours wife. a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1840) II. 311 Though the purity therof is much subject to be humbled. 1692 Ray Dissol. World ii. v. (1732) 245 The highest Mountains may be humbled into Valleys. 1759 Robertson Hist. Scot. I. vi. 478 To humble the Church was the king's next step. 1816 Keatinge Trav. (1817) I. 34 A French soldier is not to be humbled in the opinion of his countrymen or of himself. 1874 Green Short Hist. viii. §5 The Catholic League [was] humbled in the dust. |
3. refl. To render oneself humble; to assume a humble attitude; to do obeisance, bow. arch.
[Cf. med.L. se humiliare, per adorationem inclinare se, genua flectere (Du Cange).]
| c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 4965 Toward Mahoun he humblede him þan. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 111 Our king hath..humbled him in such a wise To hem that were of none emprise. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour A viij b, A grete lady tooke of her hood and humbled herself to a taylour. 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VII 24 b, The army..humbled them selfes mekely before the crosse. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 807 All the people did humble themselves, laying earth upon their heads. 1756–7 tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) III. 254 margin, How far Charles V. humbled himself to the pope. 1865 Kingsley Herew. xix, Let us humble ourselves under God's hand. |
† b. intr. for refl. Obs. or dial.
| c 1590 Greene Fr. Bacon xvi. 2 Great potentates..Think that Prince Edward humbles at your feet. 1635 Tom a Lincolne in Thoms Prose Rom. (1858) II. 236, I..have made princes stoope and kings to humble when I have frownde. 1891 Daily News 17 Oct. 3/2 The charities..in many cases do not go to the most needy, ‘who will not humble to ask for them’. |
† 4. trans. To offer humbly. Obs. nonce-use.
| 1624 Ford Sun's Darling iv. i, Let us attend to humble our best thanks For these high favours. |
Hence humbled (ˈhʌmb(ə)ld) ppl. a.; ˈhumbling vbl. n. and ppl. a., whence ˈhumblingly adv., in a humbling or humiliating manner.
| 1549 Coverdale, etc. Erasm. Par. Eph. iv. (R.), Throughe lowlinesse are humbleyng of hymselfe. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. iii. v. 5 The common executioner..Falls not the axe vpon the humbled neck, But first begs pardon. a 1655 Vines Lord's Supp. (1677) 317 Of melting humblings. a 1732 T. Boston Crook in Lot (1805) 145 The prayers and cries of his humbled people in their humbling circumstances. 1813 L. Hunt in Examiner 1 Mar. 129/2 They should meet with no whining self-humblings. 1837 H. Martineau Soc. Amer. (1839) II. 310 Selfishly timid, humblingly dependent. 1861 Gen. P. Thompson Audi Alt. III. clxxviii. 215 On this occasion the English government and public have made a humbling spectacle. |
▪ IV. † humble, v.2 Obs.
[app. of same origin as MHG., LG. and mod.Ger. hummelen, hummeln, ‘bombilare’, mod.Du. hommelen to hum, buzz, ‘bombilare, bombum edere, ut fucus, apis, etc.’ (Kilian.) Cf. humble-bee.]
intr. To rumble; to mumble; to hum or buzz as a bee. Exemplified chiefly in humbling vbl. n.2
| c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame ii. 531 Lyke the last humblynge After a clappe of oo thundringe. 1552 Latimer Serm. (Parker Soc.) 144 It is better to say it sententiously one time, than to run it over an hundred times with humbling and mumbling. 1583 Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 19 A great hurly burlye the wyndblasts Would keepe..wyth woonderus humbling. Ibid. 31 Lyke bees..That flirt in soonbeams, and toyle with mutterus humbling. 1617 Minsheu Ductor, To Humble or humme like a Bee. |
▪ V. humble, v.3
see hummel.
▪ VI. humble, n. Obs.
Only in pl. humbles.
An occasional spelling of umbles (itself a later form of numbles, OF. nombles), the inwards of a deer or other beast.
| c 1590 Greene Fr. Bacon xiv. 106, Lacy. What haue you fit for breakefast? Margret. Butter and cheese, and humbles of a Deere. 1637 T. Morton New Eng. Canaan (1883) 203 The humbles was ever my dogges fee, which by the wesell was hanged on the barre in the chimney, for his diet only. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 76 ¶1 Without telling..who has the Humbles, who the Haunch, and who the Legs of the last Stag. |
▪ VII. † humble
app. a popular corruption of homily.
| 1550 Lever Serm. (Arb.) 65 He..slubbers vp his seruice, and he can not reade the humbles. |
▪ VIII. humble
obs. form of humbly.