Nearby Words

meek

[meek] Example Sentences Origin

meek

[meek]
adjective, -er, -est.
1.
humbly patient or docile, as under provocation from others.
2.
overly submissive or compliant; spiritless; tame.
3.
Obsolete. gentle; kind.

Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English meke, meoc < Old Norse mjūkr soft, mild, meek

meek·ly, adverb
meek·ness, noun
o·ver·meek, adjective
o·ver·meek·ly, adverb
o·ver·meek·ness, noun


1. forbearing; yielding; unassuming; pacific, calm, soft. See gentle.

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Meek is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Example Sentences
  • Though mild and meek in his personal relations, he was harsh and passionate in the press and on the platform.
  • In this psychological thriller, the meek protagonist makes a pact with a shadowy, wild boy.
  • But more telling was his demeanor: meek, glumly downcast, defeated and drained.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
meek (miːk)
 
adj
1.  patient, long-suffering, or submissive in disposition or nature; humble
2.  spineless or spiritless; compliant
3.  an obsolete word for gentle
 
[C12: related to Old Norse mjūkr amenable; compare Welsh mwytho to soften]
 
'meekly
 
adv
 
'meekness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

meek
c.1200, "gentle, courteous, kind," from O.N. mjukr "soft, pliant, gentle," from P.Gmc. *meukaz (cf. Goth. muka-modei "humility," Du. muik "soft"), of uncertain origin. Use to translate L. mansuetus from Vulgate (see mansuetude). Sense of "submissive" is from mid-14c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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