humilis

Latin

Etymology

From humus +‎ -ilis. The resemblance to Ancient Greek χθαμαλός (khthamalós) is cognate, but probably accidental, and not sufficient to assume a direct inheritance from Proto-Indo-European *dʰǵʰemelo- (a derivative from *dʰéǵʰōm (“earth”)).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈhu.mi.lis/, [ˈhʊmɪlʲɪs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈu.mi.lis/, [ˈuːmilis]

Adjective

humilis (neuter humile, comparative humilior, superlative humillimus, adverb humiliter); third-declension two-termination adjective

1. low, lowly, small, slight; shallow
2. (in respect to birth, fortune or worth) base, mean, humble, obscure, poor, needy, insignificant, low

   Synonyms: ignōbilis, modicus, dēmissus

3. (of physical stature) short, not tall
4. (of mind or character) submissive, abject
5. (of language) mean, without elevation

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	humilis	humile		humilēs	humilia
Genitive	humilis			humilium
Dative	humilī			humilibus
Accusative	humilem	humile		humilēs humilīs	humilia
Ablative	humilī			humilibus
Vocative	humilis	humile		humilēs	humilia

Derived terms

• humile
• humiliātiō
• humilificō
• humiliō
• humilitās
• humiliter
• humilitō

 

Related terms

• humātiō
• humātor
• humī
• humō
• humus

 

Descendants

Descendants

• Catalan: humil
• Old Franco-Provençal: humil
  • Franco-Provençal: humil
• Old French: humble, umble
  • → English: humble
  • French: humble
• Galician: humilde
• → Old Irish: umal
  • Irish: umhal
  • Scottish Gaelic: ùmhal
• Italian: umile
• Occitan: umil
• Portuguese: húmil, húmile, humilde
• Romanian: umil
• Spanish: humil, humilde
• → Proto-Brythonic: *uβ̃ɨl
  • Middle Breton: uuel, vuhel
    • Breton: uvel
  • Old Cornish: huuel
    • Cornish: uvel, huvel
  • Old Welsh: humil
    • Middle Welsh: uwyl, uffyl
      • Welsh: ufyll (with ll from ufylltod), hufyll (with h reimported from Latin)

References

• “humilis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “humilis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• humilis in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• humilis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to study the commonplace: cogitationes in res humiles abicere (De Amic. 9. 32) (Opp. alte spectare, ad altiora tendere, altum, magnificum, divinum suspicere)
    
  • to be cast down, discouraged, in despair: animo esse humili, demisso (more strongly animo esse fracto, perculso et abiecto) (Att. 3. 2)
    
  • of humble, obscure origin: humili, obscuro loco natus
    
  • of humble, obscure origin: humilibus (obscuris) parentibus natus
    
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “humus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 292