from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Humble \Hum"ble\ (h[u^]m"b'l; 277), a. [Compar. {Humbler}
(h[u^]m"bl[~e]r); superl. {Humblest} (h[u^]m"bl[e^]st).] [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.
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Thy humble nest built on the ground. --Cowley.
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2. Not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending; unassuming;
modest; as, a humble cottage. Used to describe objects.
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3. 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; weak; modest. Used to describe people.
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God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the
humble. --Jas. iv. 6.
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She should be humble who would please. --Prior.
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Without a humble imitation of the divine Author of
our . . . religion we can never hope to be a happy
nation. --Washington.
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{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
humiliation; -- 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.
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