 |
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Humble \Hum"ble\, adjective [Compar. {Humbler}; superl. {Humblest}.] [F., fr. L. humilis on the ground, low, fr. humus the earth, ground. See {Homage}, and cf. {Chameleon}, {Humiliate}.]
1. Near the ground; not high or lofty; not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending; unassuming; as, a humble cottage.
THy humble nest built on the ground. --Cowley.
2. Thinking lowly of one's self; claiming little for one's self; not proud, arrogant, or assuming; thinking one's self ill-deserving or unworthy, when judged by the demands of God; lowly; waek; modest.
God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. --Jas. iv. 6.
She should be humble who would please. --Prior.
Without a humble imitation of the divine Author of our . . . religion we can never hope to be a happy nation. --Washington.
{Humble plant} (Bot.), a species of sensitive plant, of the genus {Mimosa} ({Mimosa sensitiva}).
{To eat humble pie}, to endure mortification; to submit or apologize abjectly; to yield passively to insult or humilitation; -- a phrase derived from a pie made of the entrails or humbles of a deer, which was formerly served to servants and retainers at a hunting feast. See {Humbles}. --Halliwell. --Thackeray.
 |
Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |