Humble

Hum"ble (?), a. Hornless. See Hummel. [Scot.]

Hum"ble (?), a. [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.

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.

She should be humble who would please.

Without a humble imitation of the divine Author of our . . . religion we can never hope to be a happy nation.

Humble plant (Bot.), a species of sensitive plant, of the genus Mimosa (M. 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.

Hum"ble (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Humbled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Humbling (?).] 1. To bring low; to reduce the power, independence, or exaltation of; to lower; to abase; to humilate.

Here, take this purse, thou whom the heaven's plagues
Have humbled to all strokes.

The genius which humbled six marshals of France.

2. To make humble or lowly in mind; to abase the pride or arrogance of; to reduce the self-sufficiently of; to make meek and submissive; -- often used rexlexively.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you.

Syn. -- To abase; lower; depress; humiliate; mortify; disgrace; degrade.