Lowly

How to spell lowly

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce lowly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does lowly mean?

1. adjectiveLow in rank, status, or importance; humble and unassuming.

Lowly in a sentence

• He started in a lowly position in the mailroom before rising to manager.

• The company treats every employee well, from the directors to the most lowly clerk.

Where does lowly come from?

Language of origin: Old Norse

This word is built on the everyday adjective 'low', which English took in the Middle Ages from the Old Norse 'lagr', meaning 'low' or 'lying flat', a word the Vikings brought to northern England. To that base was added the native suffix '-ly', which originally meant something like 'having the form or manner of', so 'lowly' first conveyed the idea of being placed near the ground or low in position. By the 1300s the sense had moved from physical lowness toward social and moral humbleness, describing a person of modest rank or an unassuming attitude. The same '-ly' ending that makes adverbs also forms adjectives like 'friendly' and 'lovely', which is why 'lowly' can work as both. The spelling stays gentle and regular: the single 'l' of 'low' simply meets the '-ly', with no doubling and no silent letters to trip over.

How the word is built

• low (not high, humble)
• -ly (adjective/adverb suffix)