From Latin 'humilis' (low), from 'humus' (earth), from PIE *dhéghōm — literally 'close to the ground.'
Having or showing a modest estimate of one's own importance; of low social rank; unpretentious in character or appearance.
From Old French 'umble' (later 'humble' with restored 'h'), from Latin 'humilis,' meaning 'low, lowly, on the ground,' from 'humus' (ground, earth, soil), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéǵʰōm (earth). The semantic development runs from physical lowness ('on the ground') to social lowness ('of low rank') to psychological modesty ('not thinking highly of oneself'). The 'h' was silent in Old French and Middle English and was restored in spelling by the fifteenth century through Latin influence
The words 'humble,' 'human,' and 'humus' all share the same root — Latin 'humus' (earth). 'Human' comes from Latin 'humānus,' which may derive from 'humus,' making humans literally 'earthlings' — beings made from earth. The connection echoes Genesis, where Adam is formed from 'ădāmāh' (ground) — and 'Adam' itself may mean 'of the earth.'
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