Hu*mil"i*ty (?), n.; pl.
Humilities (#). [OE. humilite, OF.
humilité, humelité, F.
humilité, fr. L. humiliatis. See Humble.]
1. The state or quality of being humble; freedom
from pride and arrogance; lowliness of mind; a modest estimate of
one's own worth; a sense of one's own unworthiness through
imperfection and sinfulness; self-abasement; humbleness.
Serving the Lord with all humility of
mind.
Acts xx. 19.
2. An act of submission or
courtesy.
With these humilities they satisfied the young
king.
Sir J. Davies.
Syn. -- Lowliness; humbleness; meekness; modesty;
diffidence. -- Humility, Modesty, Diffidence.
Diffidence is a distrust of our powers, combined with a fear
lest our failure should be censured, since a dread of failure
unconnected with a dread of censure is not usually called
diffidence. It may be carried too far, and is not always, like
modesty and humility, a virtue. Modesty, without supposing
self-distrust, implies an unwillingness to put ourselves forward, and
an absence of all over-confidence in our own powers. Humility
consists in rating our claims low, in being willing to waive our
rights, and take a lower place than might be our due. It does not
require of us to underrate ourselves.
