Wiktionary

humble

See also:Humble

English

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WOTD – 10 September 2007
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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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FromMiddle Englishhumble,fromOld Frenchhumble,umble,humle,fromLatinhumilis(“low, slight, hence mean, humble”)(compare Greekχαμαλός(khamalós,“on the ground, low, trifling”)), fromhumus(“the earth, ground”),humi(“on the ground”).Seehomage,and comparechameleon,humiliate.Displaced nativeOld Englishēaþmōd.

Adjective

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humble(comparativehumblerormorehumble,superlativehumblestormosthumble)

  1. Notpretentiousormagnificent;unpretending;unassuming.
    He lives in ahumbleone-bedroom cottage.
    • 17th century,Abraham Cowley,The Shortness of Life and Uncertainty of Riches
      The wise example of the heavenly lark.
      Thy fellow poet, Cowley, mark,
      Above the clouds let thy proud music sound,
      Thy humble nest build on the ground.
    • 1894,Irish Builder and Engineer,volume36,page147:
      Roominess and unroominess in a human dwelling, even of thehumblestkind, are important matters in their bearing upon man's character.
    • 1945November and December, H. C. Casserley, “Random Reflections on British Locomotive Types—1”, inRailway Magazine,page320:
      Undoubtedly it can be said that thehumble0-6-0 has been the backbone for general service, or general utility on British railways right from their earliest days, and is likely to remain so.
    • 2001August 30,Shakira(lyrics and music), “Whenever, Wherever”,inLaundry Service‎[1]:
      Lucky that my lips not only mumble / They spill kisses like a fountain / Lucky that my breasts are small andhumble/ So you don't confuse 'em with mountains
  2. Having alowopinionof oneself; notproud,arrogant,orassuming;modest.
    Synonyms:unassuming,modest
    • 1611,The Holy Bible,[…](King James Version), London:[…]Robert Barker,[…],→OCLC,James4:6:
      But he giueth more grace, wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proude, but giueth grace vnto thehumble.
    • a.1722(date written),Matthew Prior,“Cloe Jealous”, inThe Poetical Works of Matthew Prior[…],volume I, London:[…]W[illiam]Strahan,[…],published1779,→OCLC,stanza V,page109:
      She ſhould behumble,who would pleaſe;
      And ſhe muſt ſuffer, who can love.
    • 2012June 28, Jamie Jackson, “Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal”, inThe Guardian‎[2],London:
      Rosol's 65 winners to Nadal's 41 was one of the crucial statistics in the 3hr 18min match that ended in a 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 triumph labelled a "miracle" by Rosol, who washumbleenough to offer commiserations to Nadal.
Synonyms
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Antonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
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Noun

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humble(pluralhumbles)

  1. (Baltimore,slang)Anarrestbased on weak evidence intended to demean or punish the subject.
    • 2004October 17,Ed Burns,“Straight and True”,inThe Wire,season 3, episode 5 (television production), spoken by Howard "Bunny" Colvin (Robert Wisdom), via HBO:
      You're on a corner in my district, it ain't gonna be about nohumble,it ain't gonna be about no loitering charge, nothing like that. There gonna be some biblical shit happening to you on the way to that motherfucking jail wagon.
    • 2005April 23, Gregory Kane, “'Jivehumble'arrests help fill Central Booking's cell”,inBaltimore Sun:
      Years ago, guys on Baltimore's streets would have, by definition, called an arrest for loitering a "humble."
    • 2015April 29, “David Simon on Baltimore’s Anguish”, inThe Marshall Project‎[3]:
      Ahumbleis a cheap, inconsequential arrest that nonetheless gives the guy a night or two in jail before he sees a court commissioner. You can arrest people on “failure to obey,” it’s ahumble.Loitering is ahumble.These things were used by police officers going back to the ‘60s in Baltimore. It’s the ultimate recourse for a cop who doesn't like somebody who's looking at him the wrong way.

Etymology 2

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FromMiddle Englishhumblen(“to humble”),from the adjective above.

Verb

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humble(third-person singular simple presenthumbles,present participlehumbling,simple past and past participlehumbled)

  1. (transitive,intransitive)Todefeatorreducethepower,independence,orprideof.
  2. (transitive,oftenreflexive)To make humble orlowly;to make lessproudorarrogant;to makemeekandsubmissive.
    • 1979September 27,Leonard Cohen(lyrics and music), “Humbledin Love”, inRecent Songs:
      And you say you've beenhumbledin love / Cut down in your love / Forced to kneel in the mud next to me
    • 2015April 8,Dana Spiotta,“T. C. Boyle’s ‘The Harder They Come’”, inThe New York Times‎[4]:
      The final, quiet moments of the book return to Sten; his experience of his sick sonhumbleshim, just as his aging bodyhumbleshim, and Boyle seems to suggest this makes him a better man.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 3

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FromMiddle English*humblen,*humbelen(suggested byhumblynge(“a humming, a faint rumbling”)), frequentative ofMiddle Englishhummen(“to hum”),equivalent tohum+‎-le.

Verb

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humble(third-person singular simple presenthumbles,present participlehumbling,simple past and past participlehumbled)

  1. (intransitive,chieflyobsolete)Tohum.
    humblingand bumbling
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Etymology 4

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Noun

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humble(pluralhumbles)

  1. (Northern England,Scotland,alsoattributive)Alternative form ofhummel.
    humblecattle

Verb

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humble(third-person singular simple presenthumbles,present participlehumbling,simple past and past participlehumbled)

  1. (transitive)Alternative form ofhummel.

Further reading

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French

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Etymology

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FromOld French,fromLatinhumilis(“low, slight, hence mean, humble”)(compare Greekχαμαλός(khamalós,“on the ground, low, trifling”)), fromhumus(“the earth, ground”),humi(“on the ground”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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humble(pluralhumbles)

  1. humble
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Further reading

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Old French

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Adjective

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humblem(oblique and nominative feminine singularhumble)

  1. Alternative form ofumble
    • c.1170,Wace,Le Roman de Rou:
      Richart fu verz Dexhumble,volentiers le servi
      Richard was humble towards God, and served him willingly

Declension

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Declension ofhumble
Number Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
Singular Subject humbles humble humble
Oblique humble humble humble
Plural Subject humble humbles humble
Oblique humbles humbles humble
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