I.low, lowly, small, slight (class.; esp. freq. in the trop. signif.).
I. Lit.: “arbores et vites et ea quae sunt humiliora neque se tollere a terra altius possunt,” Cic. Tusc. 5, 13, 37; cf.: “turrim humilem parvamque fecerant,” Caes. B. C. 2, 8, 1 sq.: “humilior munitio,” id. ib. 3, 63, 2: “(naves) humiliores quam quibus in nostro mari uti consuevimus,” id. B. G. 5, 1, 2: “humiles habitare casas,” Verg. E. 2, 29: “domus,” Hor. C. 3, 1, 22: “postes,” Ov. M. 8, 639: “arcus,” id. ib. 3, 30: “arae,” Val. Fl. 3, 426: “virgas humilis mordere salicti,” Juv. 11, 67: “Forentum,” low, situated in the plain, Hor. C. 3, 4, 16; so, “Myconos,” Ov. M. 7, 463: “Italia,” Verg. A. 3, 522: “humillimo solo aqua diutissime immorata,” Just. 2, 1 med.: “avi similis, quae circum litora, circum Piscosos scopulos humilis volat aequora juxta,” flies low, Verg. A. 4, 255; cf.: “decisis humilis pennis,” Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 50: “potest ex deformi humilique corpusculo exire formosus animus ac magnus,” small, diminutive, Sen. Ep. 66: “brevi atque humili corpore homines,” Gell. 19, 13, 3; Curt. 7, 4: “humiles Cleonae,” little, petty, Ov. M. 6, 417 (in Ptolem. πόλις οὐ μεγάλη): “Troja,” id. ib. 15, 424: “ipse humili designat moenia fossa,” i. e. slight, shallow, Verg. A. 7, 157; so, “fossa,” Tac. A. 1, 61; cf. “radix,” Plin. Ep. 8, 20, 5.
II. Trop.
A. As respects rank, birth, fortune, worth, consideration, etc., low, base, mean, humble, obscure, poor, needy, insignificant (cf.: “supplex, summissus, demissus, abjectus): ut si parentibus nati sint humilibus,” Cic. Lael. 17, 90: “humiles nati (shortly after: trivio conceptus et educatus stercore),” Phaedr. 1, 27, 2: humiles et obscuri homines, Cic. Div. 1, 40, 88; id. Quint. 31, 95: “humillimus homo de plebe,” Liv. 3, 19, 9; cf.: “humilis in plebe et ideo ignobilis puerpera,” Plin. 7, 36, 36, § 121: “ne latos fines parare studeant potentioresque humiliores possessionibus expellant,” Caes. B. G. 6, 22, 3: “humiliores, opp. opulentiores,” Hirt. B. G. 8, 51 fin.: “hos Suevi vectigales sibi fecerunt ac multo humiliores infirmioresque redegerunt,” Caes. B. G. 4, 3 fin.: homines humiles, opp. amplissimi viri, Balb. et Opp. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 8, A, 1: “satis superque humilis est, qui, etc.,” Liv. 3, 53, 9: “junge tuis humiles, ambitiose, manus,” of the servants, Ov. A. A. 2, 254: “civitas ignobilis atque humilis,” Caes. B. G. 5, 28, 1: “humilem sane relinquunt et minime generosum, ut ita dicam, ortum amicitiae,” Cic. Lael. 9, 29: “Viridomarus, quem Caesar ex humili loco ad summam dignitatem perduxerat,” Caes. B. G. 7, 39, 1: “qui cogitationes suas abjecerunt in rem tam humilem atque contemptam,” Cic. Lael. 9, 32; cf.: “nihil abjectum, nihil humile cogitant,” id. Fin. 5, 20, 57: “aut nulla aut humili aliqua arte praediti,” id. Arch. 5, 10: “humiles et sordidae curae,” Plin. Ep. 1, 3, 3: “rei pictor,” Plin. 35, 10, 37, § 120 (dub.; “Jan. floridissimus): humilis atque obsoletus vestitus,” Nep. Ages. 8: “agna,” poor, humble, Hor. C. 2, 17, 32: “fortuna,” Juv. 6, 287: “domus,” id. 11, 171.—Hence, subst.: hŭmĭle , is, n., that which is humble or base, a low station: “ex humili potens,” Hor. C. 3, 30, 12: “quales ex humili magna ad vestigia rerum extollit Fortuna,” Juv. 3, 39.— “Prov.: Humiles laborant ubi potentes dissident,” Phaedr. 1, 30, 1.—
2. Of low, mean language: iambus frequentissimus est in iis, quae demisso atque humili sermone dicuntur. Cic. Or. 58, 196: “sermo,” Hor. A. P. 229; cf.: “neque humilem et abjectam orationem nec nimis altam et exaggeratam probat,” Cic. Or. 57, 192: “verbum,” id. Brut. 79, 274: “humilia et vulgaria verba,” Quint. 10, 1, 9: “translatio,” id. 8, 6, 5: “si quis sublimia humilibus misceat,” id. 8, 3, 60: “quae humilia circa res magnas, apta circa minores videntur,” id. 8, 3, 18: “humile et quotidianum sermonis genus,” id. 11, 1, 6: “of the author himself: Macer ... humilis,” i. e. commonplace, id. 10, 1, 87: “nil parvum aut humili modo, Nil mortale loquar,” Hor. C. 3, 25, 17.—
B. Of mind or character, low, mean, base, abject: “qui umquam apparitor tam humilis? tam abjectus?” Cic. Phil. 2, 32, 82: “ut ille tum humilis, ut demissus erat!” id. Att. 2, 21, 3: “humillimus assentator,” Vell. 2, 83, 1: “neque nos simus tam humiles, ut quae laudamus inutilia credamus,” Quint. 11, 1, 13: “privata deduci superbo Non humilis mulier triumpho,” Hor. C. 1, 37, 32: “succumbere doloribus eosque humili animo imbecilloque ferre miserum est,” Cic. Fin. 1, 15, 49: “animi,” Lucr. 6, 52: “si prece et obsecratione humili ac supplici utemur,” Cic. Inv. 1, 16, 22; 1, 56 init.; cf.: “fracto animo, atque humili aliquem supplicare,” id. Planc. 20, 50: “humillimae preces, Suet. Vit. Luc.: pavor,” Verg. G. 1, 331; cf. “metus,” Val. Fl. 3, 394.—Hence, adv.: hŭmĭlĭter , low, deeply.
1. Lit. (so post-Aug. and very rare): “in loco clivoso humilius rami arborum servandisunt, in plano altius,” Pall. 3, 13, 3: “eadem facta claritate vel obscuritate facientium vel tolluntur altissime vel humillime deprimuntur,” very deeply, Plin. Ep. 6, 24, 1. —
2. Trop. (acc. to II. B.), basely, meanly, abjectly, humbly (class.): “non est ausus elate et ample loqui, cum humiliter demisseque sentiret,” Cic. Tusc. 5, 9, 24: “aut servit humiliter, aut superbe dominatur,” Liv. 24, 25, 8: “servire alicui,” id. 45, 32, 5: “audacter territas, humiliter placas,” Auct. Her. 4, 20, 28: “animose paupertatem ferre, humiliter infamiam,” Sen. Ep. 120 med.
