Where does “humble” come from?
Humble comes from Middle English humble, from Old French humble, from Latin humilis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰéǵʰōm meaning earth or ground.
humble (English): Not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending;...
Definitions
- Not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending;...
Ancestry of “humble”, step by step
humble traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English humble
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | humble | — |
| 2 | Old French | humble | Alternative form of umble |
| 3 | Latin | humilis | low, lowly, small, slight; shallow; base, mean,... |
| 4 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via Middle English hummen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hummen | to hum, buzz, drone, make a murmuring sound to... |