English
humility
Humility comes from Latin humilitas ‘lowness, meanness, baseness, in Late Latin…’, from humilis ‘low, lowly, humble, earth’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *homos.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*homosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhumus‘earth, soil’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEhumilis‘low, lowly, humble, earth’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEhumilitas‘lowness, meanness, baseness, in Late Latin humility’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400(h)umilité
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500humilite
- Englishearliest quotation 1930humility
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*homosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhumus‘earth, soil’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEhumilis‘low, lowly, humble, earth’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEhumilitas‘lowness, meanness, baseness, in Late Latin humility’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400(h)umilité
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500humilite
- Englishearliest quotation 1930humility
Earliest quotation: 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap: “She had established a character for humility, discretion, noiselessness…”
Formed from humble + -ity
Proto-Italic *homos
Latin humus ‘ground, floor’
Latin humilis ‘low, slight, hence mean, humble’
Old French humble
Middle English humble
English humble
Linked words
through Latin humus ‘earth, soil’
through Latin humilis ‘low, lowly, humble, earth’
Today it means
noun The characteristic of being humble; humbleness in character and behavior.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *homos / humility