*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of lowly

From low + -ly; compare Middle English lowly.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Not high; not elevated in place; low. · Low in rank or social importance. · Not lofty or sublime; humble. · Having a low esteem of one's own worth; humble; meek; free from pride.

adv

In a low manner; humbly; meekly; modestly. · In a low condition; meanly. · At low pitch or volume.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From low + -ly; compare Middle English lowly.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "low",
        "3": "ly"
      },
      "expansion": "low + -ly"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "lowly"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lowly"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "low",
      "low#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ly",
      "-ly#English"
    ],
    [
      "lowly",
      "lowly#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Not high; not elevated in place; low.",
        "Low in rank or social importance.",
        "Not lofty or sublime; humble.",
        "Having a low esteem of one's own worth; humble; meek; free from pride."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "26facc036b8106bffca711255158c30507af1fbc2580514b2d8b0b67f445d4e8",
      "rawRecordSha256": "79fbcc269774e44de20714ef2c356862466de00170fa889ad8219315e31fca02",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 238032
    },
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "In a low manner; humbly; meekly; modestly.",
        "In a low condition; meanly.",
        "At low pitch or volume."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "9848636c731e9e7e499a7d9d06821f30b9f10e016a18f6d5056116827b6179b9",
      "rawRecordSha256": "20380510ff0fbdfabbc79fea07100c1ac8245a79e6790ad7d01e2d1aca34a8d0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 238033
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for lowly →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bG93bHk