Humble — Defs

01 a. Near the ground; not high or lofty.

1.
Near the ground; not high or lofty.
“Thy humble nest built on the ground.” — Cowley.
2.
Not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending; unassuming; modest; as, a humble cottage. Used to describe objects.
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.
“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.

Phrases & compounds

Humble plant — 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.

02 a. Hornless. See Hummel.

1.
Hornless. See Hummel.[Scot.] See: Hummel

03 v. t. To bring low; to reduce the power, independence, or exaltation of; to lower; to abase; to humilate.

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.” — Shak.

“The genius which humbled six marshals of France.” — Macaulay.
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.” — 1 Pet. v. 6.

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