Meek

How to spell meek

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce meek

What does meek mean?

1. adjectiveQuiet, gentle, and submissive in temperament; unwilling to assert oneself.

Meek in a sentence

• The new intern was so meek that he never questioned a single instruction.

• Her meek voice barely carried across the boardroom.

Where does meek come from?

Language of origin: Old Norse

This word comes from the Old Norse adjective mjukr, which literally meant 'soft', 'pliant', or 'gentle to the touch'. It was carried into northern English during the era of Scandinavian settlement and settled into Middle English as 'meke', shifting from describing physical softness toward describing a soft, mild, humble temperament. By the medieval period it carried strong moral and religious weight, famously in the biblical promise that the meek will inherit the earth, where it signalled humility rather than weakness. The spelling steadied on the double 'ee' to mark the long vowel, the same pattern seen in 'cheek' and 'sleek', which is why the word is rarely misspelled. Its Scandinavian roots also tie it loosely to other words for softness and suppleness in the northern Germanic languages.

How the word is built

• meek (single Germanic root, from Old Norse mjukr meaning soft or gentle; no prefix or suffix)