humility

From Middle English humilite, from Old French (h)umilité, from Latin humilitas (“lowness, meanness, baseness, in Late Latin humility”), from humilis (“low, lowly, humble, earth”). Equivalent to humble +‎ -ity, with /mb/ reduced to /m/ (compare plumbing). Displaced native Old English ēaþmōdnes. Doublet of omertà.

• IPA^(key): /hjuːˈmɪlɪti/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪlɪti

humility (usually uncountable, plural humilities)

1. The characteristic of being humble; humbleness in character and behavior.
   • 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 193:

     She had established a character for humility, discretion, noiselessness and religion which Mrs. Piper greatly regretted losing.

   • 1999, Robert Lacey, Danny Danziger, The Year 1000: What life was like at the turn of The First Millennium, London: Abacus, published 2000, page 170:

     By the end of the tenth century, Edith's humility had inspired a cult of holy wells in Kent, Staffordshire, and Herefordshire.

• Commonly used to mean “modesty, lack of pride” (with respect to one’s achievements), and in formal religious contexts to refer to a transcendent egolessness.

• egolessness, humilitude, meekness, modesty, self-effacement

• pride

• “humility”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.