From Old Norse 'mjukr' (soft, pliant) — originally physical softness, extended to gentle temperament.
Quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive; showing patience and humility.
From Old Norse 'mjúkr' (soft, gentle, pliant, yielding), from Proto-Germanic *meukaz (soft, gentle, pliant), from a PIE root possibly *mewk- or *mewg- (slippery, slimy, smooth). The original meaning was physical: soft and yielding to the touch, as opposed to hard or rigid. Old Norse used 'mjúkr' of textiles, surfaces, and bodies — anything that bends rather than resists. The semantic shift from physical pliancy to temperamental gentleness happened within Norse itself before the word entered English. Old English had a synonym
The Biblical 'Blessed are the meek' translates Greek 'praeis' (gentle, mild), which itself translated Hebrew 'anawim' (the humble, the poor). But 'meek' in its original Norse sense meant 'soft' or 'pliant' — not weak, but flexible. A meek person in the original sense was not a pushover but someone strong enough to be gentle. Moses is called the meekest man