Lowdenesse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Modest humility of spirit, a lack of pride or self-importance ; the lowly station or humble status of a person in society
2. A meek and unassuming quality of character ; the inferior rank or base position someone holds within a social order
3. Being humble and free from arrogance ; the condition of occupying a modest or subordinate place in the social hierarchy

Etymology: Middle English "lowdenesse" meant the quality of being low in rank, height, or volume, and it is built from the adjective "low" with the suffix "-nesse," an older form of "-ness" that turns adjectives into nouns of state. The pattern is ordinary, so the word's interest lies mainly in its spelling and sound. Its "-nesse" ending shows the Middle English stage of the language, when many nouns of quality were formed this way from native English adjectives. Because "low" comes from Old English "lāg," the stem is entirely native rather than borrowed from Latin or French. The "-ow-" spelling in "lowdenesse" reflects the way Middle English writers recorded the vowel of "low" when the word was spelled with a "d" sound, which points to a derived form based on the verb "lowden," meaning to lower or humble oneself. That verb formation is what separates this word from the plain "lowness" that later English kept.

Synonyms: humility, lowliness, modesty, meekness

Antonyms: pride, arrogance, haughtiness