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单词 low
释义

lown.1

Brit. /ləʊ/, U.S. /loʊ/
Forms: Old English hlæu, Old English hlauw, Old English lauw (rare), Old English (early Middle English in copy of Old English charter) hlæw, Old English (early Middle English in copy of Old English charter) hlau, Old English (early Middle English in copy of Old English charter) hlaw, Old English (early Middle English in copy of Old English charter) hleaw, Old English (early Middle English in copy of Old English charter) hlew, late Old English (early Middle English in copy of Old English charter) lew, late Old English (Middle English in copy of Old English charter) law, early Middle English hlaew (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English hlauu- (inflected form, in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English hleow (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English laew (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English læw (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English læyw (in copy of Old English charter), early Middle English lawe, early Middle English loue (in surname), early Middle English louwe (in surname), Middle English 1600s– low, Middle English (1700s poetic) (1800s English regional) lowe, 1500s looe (in copy of lME MS), 1600s (1700s English regional (northern)) (1800s Scottish (southern)) loe. See also law n.3
Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Cognate with Old Saxon hlēu (masculine or neuter), hlēwa (feminine) grave, burial mound, Old High German hlēo (plural lēwir ) grave, burial mound (Middle High German lê grave-mound, hill), Gothic hlaiw (neuter) grave < the same Germanic base as lean v.1 Compare law n.3 Form history. In Old English usually a strong masculine; however, a strong neuter and a strong feminine are also occasionally attested (for a discussion of the dialect distribution of the different genders see P. Kitson in Eng. Stud. 71 (1990) 192–3). Although assimilated to the wa -stem (or wō -stem) declension, the word is originally an Indo-European neuter es -, os -stem, as is shown by the doublet forms hlāw and hlǣw with and without i-mutation (compare A. Campbell Old Eng. Gram. (1959) §636, R. M. Hogg & R. D. Fulk Gram. Old Eng. (2011) II. §2.28). The mutated form hlǣw is especially characteristic of West Saxon, whereas the unmutated form hlāw is more usual in Anglian dialects and in Kentish. Semantic history and place-name evidence. The primary sense of the word in Old English (as corroborated by place names) is ‘man-made mound’, specifically (although not exclusively) denoting a burial mound (it seems also to have been used to denote meeting-place mounds); it was apparently the word preferred by the Anglo-Saxons for their own burial mounds, as opposed to those of earlier cultures (for which beorg barrow n.1 is more common, although there is no absolute distinction). The use of the word to denote a natural hill (compare sense 2; apparently originally a transferred use of sense 1) is particularly common in northern England and southern Scotland (compare law n.3), although compare also Stanlowe , Cheshire (late 12th cent.; also late 12th cent. as Stanlawa ; now Stanlow), where the salient feature appears to be a rocky promontory. See further M. Gelling & A. Cole Landscape of Place-names (2000) 178–80. Frequently attested in place names (in midland and southern counties overwhelmingly in sense 1), e.g. Lewa, Oxfordshire (1086; also (æt) Hlæwe (mid 13th cent. in a copy of a charter of 984); now Lew), Herlaua, Essex (1086; also (at) Herlawe (13th cent. in a copy of a charter of a1045); now Harlow), Honeslauu, Middlesex (1086; now Hounslow), Serdelau, Derbyshire (1086; now Shardlow), Thapeslau, Buckinghamshire (1086; now Taplow), Wilmesloe, Cheshire (mid 13th cent.; now Wilmslow).
Now rare.
1. A man-made mound; spec. a burial mound, a tumulus. Cf. law n.3 2.Frequently in place names (see note in etymology).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > burial > grave or burial-place > [noun] > mound
loweOE
barrowc1000
motea1522
burial-hillc1600
law1607
mound1635
tumulus1686
tor1794
burial-mound1854
grave-mound1859
grave1863
how1947
eOE Metres of Boethius (partly from transcript of damaged MS) (2009) x. 43 Hwa wat nu þæs wisan Welandes ban, on hwelcum [MS hwelcum in] hlæwa hrusan þeccen?
OE tr. Felix St. Guthlac (Vercelli) (1909) iv. 117 Wæs þær in þam sprecenan iglande sum mycel hlæw of eorþan geworht [OE Vesp. sum hlaw mycel ofer eorðan geworht; L. tumulus agrestibus glebis coacervatus], þone ylcan hlæw iu geara men bræcon and dulfon for feos þingum.
OE Beowulf (2008) 1120 Wælfyra mæst hlynode for hlawe.
lOE Royal Charter: Eadred to Ælfsige Hunlafing (Sawyer 566) in S. E. Kelly Charters of Peterborough Abbey (2009) 226 Swa suðrihte to þem litle lawe & þonne get suðrihte on þa lytlan þyrnan.
1656 W. Dugdale Antiq. Warwickshire 5/2 This Low was the Tumulus or monument (doubtless) of some eminent Souldier in the Romans time.
1686 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Staffs. x. 402 A barrow or Low, such as were usually cast up over the bodies of eminent Captains.
1751 S. Whatley England's Gazetteer at Wiggington Near this place are certain Lows, which are reckoned among the Roman Tumuli.
1789 J. Pilkington View Derbyshire II. ii. 291 Very near to the west side of this bank is a low or barrow composed entirely of earth.
1817 W. Pitt Topogr. Hist. Staffs. i. 9 Barrows or Lows are still to be found in many parts of the county: these were heaps or mounds of earth, raised as monuments to the illustrious dead.
1868 F. P. Verney Stone Edge ix. 122 Ha' ye never digged nor found anything i' th' lowe?
1963 Field Archaeol. (Ordnance Surv.) (ed. 4) 45 Round burial mounds..are called by different names in different parts of the country..barrow, low, howe, cairn, [etc.].
2003 D. Iredale & J. Barrett Discovering Local Hist. (ed. 2) 65 As the lows were plundered of their prehistoric grave-goods, tumuli in general acquired a reputation for buried treasure.
2. A hill; = law n.3 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > hill > [noun] > round or conical
lowOE
lawa1400
sugar-loafa1691
kettle-bottom1746
loma1849
morne1889
pepino1899
hum1921
OE Phoenix 25 Beorgas þær ne muntas steape ne stondað.., ne dene ne dalu ne dunscrafu, hlæwas ne hlincas.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 9205 & illc an lawe. & illc an hill Shall niþþredd beon. & laȝhedd.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 1699 Þo stod hauelok als a lowe Aboven [þo] þat þer-inne wore.
c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 4341 (MED) Hij drowen hem quyk vnder a lowe, Als hij hadden alle yflowe.
a1500 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Trin. Dublin) l. 1090 May þou oght, lede, yond[e]r low [c1450 Ashm. lawe] lift on þi shulder?
1534 (?a1500) Shearmen & Taylors' Pageant l. 218 in H. Craig Two Coventry Corpus Christi Plays (1931) 8 Harke! I here owre brother on the looe; This ys hys woise.
a1650 Sir Lionell 70 in F. J. Furnivall Percy's Folio MS (1867) I. 78 The Gyant lyes vnder yond low.
a1765 R. Hood & Guy of Gisborne xlvi, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1888) III. v. 93/2 That beheard the sheriffe of Nottingham, As he leaned vnder a lowe.
1847 M. Howitt Ballads 66 And some they brought the brown lint-seed, and flung it down from the Low.
1901 Speaker 20 Apr. 77/1 The coarse meadows swell up into rounded or pointed ‘lows’.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

lown.3

Brit. /ləʊ/, U.S. /loʊ/
Forms: see low v.1
Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: low v.1
Etymology: < low v.1 Compare earlier lowing n.1Compare Old English gehlōw lowing, bellowing ( < y- prefix + the base of low v.1).
The deep resonant vocal sound characteristically made by a cow or other bovine animal; a sound likened to this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > bos taurus or ox > [noun] > sound made by
boingc1487
rout1513
lowa1522
boo1706
bellow1779
moo1789
a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1960) xii. ii. 136 Lyke as the bull,..Gevis terribill rowtis and lowis monyfald.
c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 30 The nolt maid noyis vitht mony loud lou.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing v. iv. 48 Bull Ioue sir had an amiable lowe . View more context for this quotation
1602 N. Breton Olde Mad-cappes New Gally-mawfrey sig. E2 The Sheepe knowen easely by his brand, Cow by her lowe: and by his barke the Dogge.
1726 J. Thomson Winter 6 The Cattle, from th' untasted Fields, return, And ask, with Meaning low, their wonted Stalls.
1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho I. vii. 196 The far-off low of cattle.
1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel I. 111 On list'ning ears so sweet Fall the mellow low and bleat.
1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. III. iv. 66 A comfortable low came at intervals from the cattle, revelling in the abundant herbage.
1908 S. J. Weyman Wild Geese xviii. 282 The low of a cow whose calf was being weaned.
a1969 J. Kerouac Visions of Cody (1992) 24 Distant low of a klaxon moaning horn.
2009 D. Rawlins Texas Blaze 209 The tense silence..was disturbed by the low of disgruntled cattle.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

lown.4

Brit. /laʊ/, U.S. /laʊ/
Forms: pre-1700 lowe (Scottish), 1900s– low (Manx English).
Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: 'low v.3
Etymology: < 'low v.3 Compare earlier lowance n.
rare.
†1. Scottish. = allowance n. 8. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > permission > [noun] > permission by non-intervention or toleration
sufferancea1300
allowancea1402
tholance1446
tholing1457
sufferingc1460
low1535
connivinga1648
Nelson eye1893
1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) III. 464 [He] passit hame awa, But lowe or leif that tyme of ony wicht.
2. Manx English. An allowance; a share, a portion.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > sharing > [noun] > a share
lotOE
metc1225
partc1300
portion?1316
share1539
coportion1596
quota1688
ration1850
chop1919
low1934
1934 W. W. Gill Manx Dial. 77 They were all gettin' 'lows..under the will. 'Lows, that's different shares.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

lowadj.n.2

Brit. /ləʊ/, U.S. /loʊ/
Forms:

α. early Middle English lach, early Middle English lachȝe (plural and as adverb), early Middle English lage (plural), early Middle English laȝe (inflected form and as adverb), early Middle English laȝh, early Middle English lahe (inflected form and as adverb), early Middle English laih, early Middle English leahe (south-west midlands, as adverb), early Middle English ley (south-west midlands), early Middle English (1800s– English regional (northern)) lah, Middle English lagh (northern), Middle English laghe (northern), Middle English laugh (Essex), Middle English lawgh (north midlands), 1800s– laigh (English regional (northern)); Scottish pre-1700 lach, pre-1700 lache, pre-1700 lacht, pre-1700 laiche, pre-1700 laicht, pre-1700 laighe, pre-1700 lauch, pre-1700 lauche, pre-1700 laucht, pre-1700 lawch, pre-1700 lawghe, pre-1700 lawich, pre-1700 laych, pre-1700 layche, pre-1700 laycht, pre-1700 leach, pre-1700 leache, pre-1700 leaigh, pre-1700 leauch, pre-1700 leauche, pre-1700 leaycht, pre-1700 leich, pre-1700 lewach, pre-1700 lewch, pre-1700 lewche, pre-1700 1700s laugh, pre-1700 1700s–1800s leuche, pre-1700 1700s–1800s leugh, pre-1700 1700s– laich /lex/, pre-1700 1700s– laigh /lex/, pre-1700 1700s– leuch /ljux/, pre-1700 1800s leigh, 1700s leagh, 1700s leiugh, 1700s lieugh, 1800s laeugh, 1800s laihh- (in compounds), 1800s lay- (in compounds), 1800s leauh, 1800s lewgh, 1900s laight (Scottish, rare), 1900s– laeuch, 1900s– layich (northern), 1900s– lyaach (north-eastern); Irish English (chiefly northern) late Middle English lei (Waterford), 1800s leagh, 1900s– laich, 1900s– laigh.

β. early Middle English loge (inflected form), early Middle English loh, early Middle English lohe (as adverb), Middle English loeȝ, Middle English loewȝ, Middle English loȝ, Middle English loȝe, Middle English logh, Middle English loghe, Middle English louȝ, Middle English louȝe, Middle English lough, Middle English loughe, Middle English louh, Middle English louhe, Middle English lovȝ, Middle English lowȝ, Middle English lowȝe, Middle English lowgh, Middle English lowghe, Middle English lowh, Middle English lowhe; English regional 1700s loff (Devon), 1800s lof (Yorkshire).

γ. Middle English loewe, Middle English loo, Middle English lou, Middle English loue, Middle English louwe (plural and as adverb), Middle English love, Middle English–1600s lowe, Middle English– low, late Middle English lewe (probably transmission error), late Middle English–1500s 1700s loe, 1600s (1800s– nonstandard) lo (see also lo adj.), 1800s– loa (English regional (Yorkshire)), 1800s– looa (English regional (Yorkshire)); Scottish pre-1700 lo, pre-1700 loe, pre-1700 lowe, pre-1700 1700s– low.

δ. Chiefly northern and north midlands Middle English lau, Middle English laue, Middle English law, Middle English lawe; English regional (northern) 1700s– laa (Northumberland), 1800s la' (Cumberland), 1800s– law; Scottish pre-1700 lau, pre-1700 laue, pre-1700 lav, pre-1700 lawe, pre-1700 1700s– law, 1800s la.

See also lower adj., n.1, and adv. and lowest adj., n., and adv.
Origin: A borrowing from early Scandinavian.
Etymology: < early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic lágr (comparative lægri , superlative læstr ) a short distance from the ground, short in stature or height, low-lying, humble, (of the voice) quiet, muted (Icelandic lágur , lár ), Norwegian (Nynorsk and Bokmål) låg , (Bokmål) lav (comparative lågare , lægre , superlative lågast , lægst ) short, low-lying, insignificant, of little worth, humble, vulgar, Old Swedish lagher (comparative läghre , superlative läghster ), a short distance from the ground, short in height or stature, low-lying, humble, small, insignificant, (of the voice) quiet, muted (Swedish låg ), Old Danish lagh (Danish lav )), cognate with Old Frisian lēch (comparative lēgere ) close to the ground, short in stature or height, of little worth (Frisian leech ), Middle Dutch lage , laech , lege , leech low, flat, close to the ground, insignificant, poor (Dutch laag ), Middle Low German lēch , lēge short in height or stature, low-lying, flat, humble, vulgar, poor, bad, Middle High German læge flat, poor, of little worth (German regional läg ), and also with Old English lǣge fallow (see lea adj.) < the same Germanic base as lie v.1 Compare lower adj., n.1, and adv., lowest adj., n., and adv. Form history. The stem vowel of the early Middle English form lāh (inflected lāg- ) underwent regular rounding to long open ō in southern and midland Middle English (compare β. and γ. forms), but was retained in northern Middle English and Scots (compare α. and δ. forms). Furthermore, α. and β. forms on the one hand and γ. and δ. forms on the other reflect the divergent development of early Middle English uninflected and inflected forms, the former with final voiceless velar fricative /x/, and the latter with intervocalic voiced velar fricative /ɣ/ (which in Middle English regularly vocalized to /w/). Early Middle English ley, late Middle English (Ireland) lei, and Scots lay-, appear all to show sporadic (and independent) loss of the final consonant (in the latter case, which is attested only in the compound lay-fittit flat-footed (1825), as a simplification of the consonant cluster). The usual modern Scots form laich (also laigh) at α. forms is the reflex of early Scots (uninflected) *lāh , and shows the regular development of Middle English long ā to long close ē by the operation of the Great Vowel Shift; in contrast, the doublet form law at δ. forms is the reflex of early Scots (inflected) *lāg- , with the regular development of the intervocalic voiced velar fricative /ɣ/ to /w/ (compare γ. forms), and the consequent creation of a new diphthong /au/ (subsequently monophthongized to /ɑː/ and raised to /ɔ(ː)/). The Scots form leuch at α. forms shows diphthongization of laich (at an intermediate stage when its stem vowel had already been raised as far as long open ē in the Great Vowel Shift) by development of a velar glide to yield /ɛu/, thus merging with the existing diphthong in words like dew n., few adj., hew v., etc., and sharing their later history. Although apparently more widespread in Older Scots this pronunciation is now confined to southern Scotland. The Older Scots form lauch at α. forms shows diphthongization of an early Scots shortened form *lăh (beside *lāh, with long stem vowel) by development of a velar glide to yield /au/.
A. adj. In general, and in most of the senses, the opposite of high adj. Frequently used as the complement of a verb (see Phrases for more idiomatic uses of this type).
I. Senses relating to distance above or below a base level.
1.
a. Measuring a small distance from top to bottom; of less than average height or elevation from the ground.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > lack of height > [adjective]
shortc888
lowc1175
base1590
lowly1695
unlofty1729
squat1757
strunty1808
unhigh1811
dwarf1880
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 15232 Þær wass an bennkinnge lah.
c1200 (?OE) Grave (1890) l. 8 Ne bið nu þin hus healice itinbred: Hit bið unheh and lah, þonne þu list þerinne. Ðe helewaȝes beoð laȝe, sidwaȝes unheȝe.
a1350 in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 28 Hue boskeþ huem wyþ botouns,..wiþ lowe lacede shon of an hayfre hude.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke iii. 5 Ech valey schal be fulfillid, and ech mountayn and litil hil schal be maad louȝ.
1426 in J. Raine Testamenta Eboracensia (1836) I. 410 (MED) Also I gif..to my son..ij salt salares of silver, on hegh, on other lawe.
tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) iii. l. 304 Make hem [sc. trees] lough in cleuis that decline.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xvii. 380 The vallis of the toune than wer Sa law, that [etc.].
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) vii. l. 968 That toune thai may nocht kep. The wallis ar laych suppos the dyk be depe.
1558 Galway Arch. in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. v. 388 The said John..ys bound to make..ther but a loe gardinge, not plantinge anny great tres.
1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. E4v Low-shrubs wither at the Cedars roote. View more context for this quotation
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 611 It is a little low Hearbe.
1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 377 Their shooes are low and flat-soal'd.
a1724 W. Hamilton Descr. Lanark & Renfrew (1831) 23 An old castle and some laigh buildings.
1756 P. Browne Civil & Nat. Hist. Jamaica ii. ii. 330 The Screw Tree. This curious shrub is very frequent in the low gravelly hills.
1855 R. Browning How it strikes Contemp. 102 Who..stood about the neat low truckle bed.
1861 J. H. Parker Introd. Study Gothic Archit. (ed. 2) iii. 44 Early Norman buildings were generally low.
1884 Letts's Illustr. Househ. Mag. 195/1 The vicar entered the room, head foremost, with a stoop rendered natural by long practice in low doorways.
1887 R. L. Stevenson Thrawn Janet in Merry Men 146 It's a lang, laigh, mirk chalmer.
1907 Women's Missionary Mag. May 102 The women's ward... A long low room with windows and doors down both sides.
1944 Times 27 Apr. 4/7 Depth charges were dropped from a low height in a perfect straddle.
1967 Appraisal Terminol. & Handbk. (Amer. Inst. Real Estate Appraisers) (ed. 5) 101 A series of rounded low mounds with diameters up to 40 feet and variable heights up to about three feet.
1998 J. Shapcott My Life Asleep 39 Nurse set out a low bed for her,..next to his.
b. Of a person or animal: small in height; short (now chiefly archaic and regional). Also of a person or animal's height or stature: small, short.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > bodily height > shortness > [adjective]
shorta900
littleOE
lowa1398
untallc1535
dwarfish1542
shrimpish1549
pygmy1592
shrubby1603
dapper1606
punya1616
runtisha1642
truss1674
sesquipedalian1741
smally1764
petite1766
elfin1796
scram1825
squibbish1826
gnomic1845
dwarf-like1850
knee-high to a grasshopper1851
underhanded1856
nanoid1857
whipping-snapping1861
scrunty1868
midget1875
short-set1883
sawed-off1887
strunty1897
munchkin1930
sawn-off1936
short-arsed1951
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. lxxxv. 1236 Pigargus is a litel lowe brid.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 3197 But she was neither yong ne hoor, Ne high ne lowe, ne fat ne lene.
a1450 York Plays (1885) 214 (MED) For I am lawe, and of myne hight Ful is þe gate.
?1555 T. Paynell tr. J. L. Vives Office of Husband sig. F.iv The magistrates of the Lacedemonian..condemned king Archidamus, because he hadde maried a wife of a lowe stature.
1638 F. Junius Painting of Ancients 245 Low men love to stand on tiptoes.
1660 F. Brooke tr. V. Le Blanc World Surveyed 80 Their cowes are low, and their horns grow only skin deep.
1724 R. Wodrow Life J. Wodrow (1828) 55 Margaret Hair, my mother, was of a stature rather low than tall.
1772 J. Reynolds Disc. Royal Acad. 1771 7 Agesilaus was low, lame, and of a mean appearance.
1827 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey V. vii. viii. 95 Her full voluptuous growth gave you..the impression that she was somewhat low in stature.
1861 A. Trollope Framley Parsonage II. ix. 183 I do remember the young lady,..a dark girl, very low, and without much figure.
1884 19th Cent. May 758 The pony Rex, whose astonishing performances, in spite of his low height,..are the single exception wanted to prove the rule.
1905 J. P. Boucaut Arab x. 219 The Arab is, and always has been, a low horse.
1976 G. E. Campion Lincs. Dial. 48 ‘She was a low woman’ meant that she was small, and was no reflection on her character.
2011 Observer (Nexis) 13 Nov. (Review section) 29 African pygmies..are genetically programmed to have low stature.
c. Of the brow or forehead: sloping back more than that of an average human being; (of the skull) having a forehead of this type.Often (esp. in early use) used depreciatively, as those with low foreheads were characterized as having smaller brains (and therefore lower intellects), or as being similar to apes. See also lowbrow n. and adj.
ΚΠ
?1562 W. Ward tr. R. Roussat Most Excellent Bk. Doctour & Astrologien Arcandam sig. D.vii A low foreheade is no signe of a manly man.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iv. i. 248 We shall..be turn'd..to Apes With foreheads villanous low . View more context for this quotation
1620 ‘Kinde Kit of Kingstone’ Westward for Smelts sig. A4v She had large eyes: And a low brow, Much like a Sow.
1775 J. Ash New Dict. Eng. Lang. Low browed, having a low forehead.
1828 J. Stark Elements Nat. Hist. I. 44 The Active Gibbon..forehead very low; orbital arches very prominent.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. iv. 483 His forehead low as that of a baboon.
1888 J. Hunter-Duvar De Roberval 183 Her low, white brow was broad, with banded hair.
1916 Dental Cosmos Mar. 279/1 It [sc. a Neanderthal] has the low skull and large brow ridges characteristic of the type.
1943 C. De Tolnay Michelangelo 95 The broad cheeks are energetically framed by the strongly projecting chin and above by the low forehead.
2000 M. Wood Blind Memory iv. 163 Cruikshank's blacks exhibit rolling eyes, shining teeth, grimacing thick lips, protruding jaws and low foreheads.
d. Of women's clothing: = low-cut adj. (b) at low adv. Compounds 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > having specific parts > neckline
decolouredc1430
high1590
low-cuta1600
low1818
low-necked1830
low-neck1858
décolleté1884
semi-high1905
boat-shaped1921
turtle-necked1931
crew neck1940
polo-collared1946
polo-necked1948
plunge-line1949
plunge-necked1949
crew-necked1950
plunge neck1951
scoop-necked1955
bateau-necked1959
1818 Repository of Arts 1 Mar. 183/1 A low dress, composed of British net, and worn over a white satin slip: the dress is cut low and square round the bust.
1837 Lady's Mag. & Museum May 365/1 Blouse decolletée (low blouse) of organdi (book muslin), with a square embroidered piece put in at the shoulders.
1857 A. Trollope Barchester Towers (1858) xxxvi. 299 I'm sorry you've come in such low dresses, as we are all going out of doors.
1922 R. W. Jones Light Interviews with Shades xviii. 142 Then a young woman with a low dress and high voice came out and screamed like a patient at a painless dentist's.
2011 Western Mail (Nexis) 7 June 20 It is the males in the workplace who get more hung-up about it. If someone came in here..with a low top, I would not notice.
2.
a. Located at or near the bottom of something; situated not far above the ground or some other specified level or point of reference; further down in relation to something else or other things of the same kind. Also: on the earth, rather than in heaven.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > [adjective]
earthlyOE
netherOE
lowc1225
terrene13..
terrestre1340
temporalc1380
earthyc1429
terrestrialc1460
inferial?a1475
mundanec1475
mundial1499
earthish?1533
terrenala1555
terreal1598
terrestrene1599
sublunary1609
sublunar1610
mundal1614
temporarya1616
earth-born1626
terranean1653
circumterraneous1678
subcelestial1706
terraneousa1711
terrean1714
terrigenal1744
subastral1752
geotic1755
tellurian1786
worldly1812
telluric1813
transglobal1953
the world > space > relative position > low position > [adjective]
lowc1225
base?a1425
howea1500
low-down1548
humble1579
lowly1579
low-lying1809
low-level1845
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) 30 Þeos..wunieð lahe on eordðe.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 201 For se Lach [a1250 Nero louh] wunde ne dred þu naut to sare.
a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) l. 588 So hey nys soule non In heuene ne so low in helle, þat ne shulleþ hit hure anon.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Miller's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 224 An hole he foond ful lowe vp on a bord Ther as the Cat was wont In for to crepe.
1415 in F. A. Page-Turner Bedfordshire Wills (1914) 28 (MED) Item, iij lowe chaundellers of Bellewise.
a1450 Pater Noster Richard Ermyte (Westm. Sch. 3) (1967) 23 He is hiȝe in heuen þat we preyen to, & we so lowe here in erþe.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xiii. 651 And it, that wondir lawch wer ere, Mon lowp on loft in the contrere.
a1525 (a1500) Sc. Troy Bk. (Douce) 1719 in C. Horstmann Barbour's Legendensammlung (1882) II. 276 Eurus, Nothus and Affricus, Loussede and sende frome Eolus, Ourtirvis þe depe se in wallis, That now as hillis hie It schawis Now set laich with ane noþir skift, That þai may se nocht bot þe lift.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. cclixv She [sc. the Mary Rose] was laden with much ordinaunce, and the portes left open, whiche were very lowe.
c1600 Hist. & Life James VI (1825) 46 Finding the lyntell stane of the bak yett to be sumwhat laigh [ed. 1804: laiche].
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §832 The Raine-Bow consisteth of a Glomeration of Small Drops, which cannot possibly fall, but from the Aire, that is very Low.
1653 R. Saunders Physiognomie ii. 221 The second Cardinal house is the fourth, called the low heaven.
1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 154 This Jealous Glass..is commonly used in and about London..where the Windows are low against the Street.
1787 R. Burns Poems (new ed.) 84 Swith to the Laigh Kirk, ane an' a, An' there tak up your stations.
1814 C. Bell Syst. Operative Surg. (ed. 2) I. vii. 352 These ulcers..are generally low on the leg, on the ancle, or foot.
1817 S. T. Coleridge Destiny of Nations in Sibylline Leaves 282 In this low world Placed with our backs to bright Reality.
1898 P. Manson Trop. Dis. xix. 317 Occasionally it [sc. epidemic gangrenous rectitis] may begin higher up—in the colon. In this case it is called the ‘high’ form; in the other, the ‘low’ or rectal form.
1928 Jrnl. Ecol. 16 254 The maritime districts..suffer from the frequent sea-fogs and low clouds.
1992 S. Taylor Mortimer's Deep 249 ‘We're owr laigh i the water,’ Donald shouted. ‘Ye'll hae tae bail fester.’
2005 Oxf. (Mississippi) Amer. Fall 131/2 He clipped the inner foliage from low branches of a Leyland cypress and bound them up with wire.
b. Of a celestial object, or its course, position, etc.: not high in the sky; near the horizon.In quot. 1859: (poetic) caused by a low sun.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > heavenly body > position of heavenly body > [adjective] > altitude
upsprungc1000
lowa1393
risen1555
unrisena1626
unarisen1865
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. l. 740 The Mones cercle so lowe is, Wherof the Sonne out of his stage Ne seth him noght with full visage.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 188 The high sun Was comyn into colde with a course low.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 1173 Hereupon it commeth that the Moone being low and so falling within the shadow is compassed with greater circles of the shadow.
1676 C. Cotton in I. Walton et al. Universal Angler ii. i. 11 The sun grows low.
1769 W. Ludlam Astron. Observ. St. John's Coll. Cambr. 49 In setting the quadrant a second time, this point..is to be brought on the low meridian star.
1801 T. Campbell Hohenlinden 1 On Linden, when the sun was low, All bloodless lay the untrodden snow.
1859 Ld. Tennyson Enid in Idylls of King 32 The third day..Made a low splendour in the world.
1890 Anthony's Photogr. Bull. 27 Sept. 552 The supposition was..that a reduction of the brightness was mostly caused by a low position of the sun.
1921 Poets of Future 80 Warm nights in June When birdlings chirp beneath a full low moon.
1971 J. Needham Sci. & Civilisation in China IV. iii. xxix. 567 For this voyage the pole-star was very low on the horizon.
2010 Trail Spring 27/1 The low sun..smelting the waters of the lochs with rascal shafts of light.
c. Of a bow, curtsy, or other obeisance: involving a particularly deep dipping movement; sinking close to the ground (chiefly with the implication of great respect). Cf. profound adj. 3d. to make a low leg: (probably) to genuflect.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > [adjective] > bowing or curtseying > of an obeisance: profound or deep
lowc1430
profound1677
c1430 N. Love Mirror Blessed Life (Brasenose e.9) (1908) 31 Gabriel, knelynge doun with oure lady..toke curteisly his leue of hir with a deuouȝt and lowe bowynge to the erthe.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccxxxiiii He toke of hys cappe, and made a low and solempne obeysance.
1602 2nd Pt. Returne fr. Parnassus ii. vi. 947 He presently doffes his cap most solemnly, makes a low-leg to his ladiship.
1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 157 Rising up to make him a low congey, she proceeded.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 835 From the Tree her step she turnd, But first low Reverence don. View more context for this quotation
1704 tr. Hist. Cardinal Portocarrero 259 He made her a very low Bow, and she return'd his Salutation as became her.
1761 Acct. Ceremonies Coronation George III & Queen Charlotte i. 27/1 The Champion..makes a low Obeisance to his Majesty.
1852 W. M. Thackeray Henry Esmond III. ii. 52 She..swept a low curtsey, coming up to the recover with the prettiest little foot in the world pointed out.
1887 W. P. Frith Autobiogr. I. xix. 237 ‘I am very much obliged to you,’ making a low bow.
1917 J. W. Gerard My Four Years in Germany i. i. 25 Each lady to be presented stopped beside the throne and made a low curtsey.
1963 E. Dahlberg Because I was Flesh (1967) 230 Instead of bowing to her I made a low leg to the bills scattered and crawling over the floor.
1993 P. Ackroyd House of Dr. Dee (1994) i. 24 Mr Mekes approached me, and gave a low bow.
d. Printing. low to paper: (of type) of less than the normal or required height from the foot of the type to the face, typically as a result of being worn down, Cf. height to paper at height n. 1c. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > printing > types, blocks, or plates > relating to type > [adjective] > less than normal height
low to paper1755
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 384 Low against Paper.]
1755 J. Smith Printer's Gram. iii. 40 Good Press-work will..shew where letters are cast either too high, or too low, to paper.
1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 698/2 Types lower than the ordinary dimension are said to be low to paper, and if surrounded by higher types will not give a perfect impression.
1922 D. B. Updike Printing Types I. ii. 34 The standard height-to-paper is 0·918 inch. Types exceeding or falling short of this measurement are termed respectively ‘high-to-paper’ and ‘low-to-paper’.
1970 R. K. Kent Lang. Journalism 64 Low to paper, designating type or other printing elements that have become worn down so they are no longer type-high.
3.
a. Of land, a body of water, etc.: below or relatively close to sea level, low-lying; (also) flat, not hilly or mountainous.Some related uses are treated as main entries: see low country n., lowland n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > [adjective]
lowc1300
lowland1567
humble1579
low country1581
bottomy1635
subjacent1648
flat-lying1762
down country1827
c1300 St. Patrick's Purgatory (Laud) l. 331 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 209 (MED) In þe south-half of þe hul, a deop water þare was and louȝ [a1325 Corpus Cambr. lou].
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 1761 Þe myst dryves Þorȝ þe lyst of þe lyfte, bi the loȝ medoes.
c1450 (?c1408) J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte (1901) l. 2871 (MED) For by the holtys gray and hore, And by the dalys depe and lowe, To hunten hir she bereth a bowe.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) xi. l. 622 The lauch way till Enrawyn thai ryd.
1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1928) xxxv. 182 We were glad whan ye had forsaken The lowe vale.
a1600 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) II. 38 [They] draw thaim selffis to ane leuche place out of the Inglischemenis sight.
1651 R. Child Large Let. in S. Hartlib Legacie 14 Low, moist, foggy ground.
1744 G. Berkeley Siris (ESTC T72826) §25 Trees growing in low and shady places do not yield so good tar.
1793 J. Hunter Hist. Jrnl. Trans. Port Jackson iv. 121 Here the banks of the river are low, and covered with what we call the pine-trees of this country.
1818 H. M. Williams tr. A. von Humboldt Personal Narr. Trav. III. 9 In the American Alps, the heliconia, costus, maranta, and other plants..which near the coasts vegetate only in damp and low places, flourish here at considerable height.
1837 J. R. McCulloch Statist. Acct. Brit. Empire I. i. i. 52 Orfordness, a low beach running out into the sea.
1894 S. R. Crockett Lilac Sunbonnet 74 One of the farms at the ‘laigh’ end of the parish.
1897 Daily News 9 Nov. 6/6 Everywhere else, with the exception of a few low islands, the ice-sheet overran everything.
1917 W. Riley Way of Winepress xiii. 98 We left the cottage and took the low road to the highway, thus avoiding the village.
1991 S. Hill Air & Angels 4 Behind them, the low shoreline, the house, and the violet shadow of the mountain, grew small and distant.
b. With capital initial. Prefixed to the names of countries or districts, designating the part near to the sea, as Low Germany, Low Egypt, etc. Now historical or in the comparative (see lower adj. 3).Some related uses are treated as main entries: see Low Dutch n., Low German n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > land near coast > [adjective]
lowa1398
maritimal1587
seaboard1590
sea-bordering1597
maritime1598
maritimate1601
marine1610
blue-washed1790
bismarine1808
the world > the earth > named regions of earth > Europe > Germanic region > [noun] > Germany
Dutchland1547
Low Germany1577
fatherland1680
Hunland1916
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xv. cxliii. 808 Semigallia is a [litil] prouynce..in þe lowe Asia [L. in inferiori mesia].
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 3 Egipte þe hie and þe lawe [Fr. la haute et la basse].
1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Eng. 107/2 in Chron. I All alongst the Sea coastes of lowe Germanie.
1600 J. Norden Vicissitudo Rerum sig. F Spaine, Italy, France, high, low Germany, And England Northmost, equall with the best.
1737 tr. Ceremonies & Relig. Customs Var. Nations VI. 157 Those Bohemians, who within a few Years have made Inroads through High and Low Germany.
1971 J. Gardner Allit. Morte Arthure (1973) 257 There are men of France, Lorraine, Lombardy, Low Spain and Westphalia.
1994 C. V. J. Russ German Lang. Today i. 12 Settlers from Low Germany, or in some cases from the Netherlands, settled in Mecklenburg, Pomerania and Brandenburg.
4.
a. Situated below the level of the earth's surface; deep in or under the ground. Now only in predicative use. See also to lay low at Phrases 2, to lie low at Phrases 3a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > extension downwards or depth > [adjective]
deep854
thickc893
lowc1350
profound?a1425
howea1500
dernc1500
deepsome?1615
the world > space > relative position > low position > [adjective] > situated or placed under > below the ground
lowc1350
subterraneal1592
under-earth1592
under-earthly1605
subterranean1607
subterraneous1607
subterrene1610
subterrestrial1613
subterrane1614
subterrany1626
sotteran1648
subterrenean1653
hypogeal1686
hypogeous1847
hypogean1852
below ground1859
c1350 [see sense B. 3a].
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. xxxiv. 9 Turned shuln ben his stremes in to pich, and his loewȝ erthe in to brunston.
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 314 Low, or lowe, profundus.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) ii. l. 157 And ek thar-to he was in presoune law.
1533 J. Gau tr. C. Pedersen Richt Vay sig. Giv He first passit dwme [read dwne] to ye law partis of the ȝeird [= earth].
1578 W. Baldwin et al. Last Pt. Mirour for Magistrates (new ed.) f. 177 Ful dead and low in earth I lay.
1640 G. Abbot Whole Bk. Iob Paraphr. xxviii. 168 Hee by his skill and industry, goes as low under ground for these things, as the fowles flie high.
1733 J. Besse Abstr. Sufferings Quakers I. xi. 278 They..were imprison'd for Contempt in a low Dungeon at Warwick twenty Steps deep.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary I. i. 4 A sharp-looking old dame..who inhabited a ‘laigh shop’, anglicé, a cellar, opening to the High Street by a straight and steep stair, at the bottom of which she sold tape, thread, needles.
1836 J. F. Cooper Sketches Switzerland: Pt. 2nd II. xvi. 39 After following the course of the river, for a few miles, we met the stream, buried low in the earth, at one of its sudden bends.
1957 P. Green Founders iv. 48 (stage direction) Low under the earth far away a rumble of thunder sounds.
1993 L. Ryken in L. Ryken & T. Longman Compl. Literary Guide to Bible xxxvi. 460 Heaven is high, as we have always known it to be, and hell is low and bottomless.
†b. poetic. Dead and buried; lying in the grave. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > dead person or the dead > [adjective]
deadOE
lifelessOE
of lifeOE
storvena1225
dead as a door-nail1362
ydead1387
stark deadc1390
colda1400
bypast1425
perishedc1440
morta1450
obita1450
unquickc1449
gone?a1475
dead and gone1482
extinct1483
departed1503
bygonea1522
amort1546
soulless1553
breathless1562
parted1562
mortified1592
low-laid1598
disanimate1601
carcasseda1603
defunct1603
no morea1616
with God1617
death-stricken1618
death-strucken1622
expired1631
past itc1635
incinerated1657
stock-dead1662
dead as a herring1664
death-struck1688
as dead as a nit1789
(as) dead as mutton1792
low1808
laid in the locker1815
strae-dead1820
disanimated1833
ghosted1834
under the daisies1842
irresuscitable1843
under the sod1847
toes up1851
dead and buried1863
devitalized1866
translated1869
dead and done (for, with)1886
daid1890
bung1893
(as) dead as the (or a) dodo1904
six feet under1942
brown bread1969
1808 Ld. Byron in J. C. Hobhouse Imitations & Transl. Classics 202 (title) And wilt thou weep when I am low?
1826 W. Scott in L. J. Jennings Croker Papers 19 Mar. (1884) I My head may be low—I hope it will—before the time comes.
1852 Ld. Tennyson Ode Wellington 18 The last great Englishman is low.
5.
a. Of a river, the sea, etc.: below the usual water level; particularly shallow. See also low water n. 1, low tide n. 1.Recorded earliest in the superlative: cf. lowest adj. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > shallowness > [adjective] > more shallow than usual (of any liquid)
lowa1398
scarce1732
small1791
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xiii. xxi. 668 Whan þe mone is oon and twenty daies olde þe see is efte atte þe loweste ebbe.
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 4764 (MED) Þe secunde day, þe se sal be swa law Þat unnethes men sal it knaw.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 269 The river..when the flood is gone, it is so low, yt it may be passed without all daunger.
1695 J. Woodward Ess. Nat. Hist. Earth 213 The Springs and Rivers are very low.
1770 Trial M. Campbell for Murder A. Earl 27 Nature itself points out..the margin of the water at all times, whether at high or low sea.
1802 A. Ellicott Jrnl. (1803) 120 When the water is low, you have high muddy banks, quick-sands, and sand bars.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xii. 236 The ships were in extreme peril: for the river was low.
1860 Amer. Agriculturist 19 358/2 The forepart of the Summer was dry, and the springs and wells got low.
1979 C. Major Emergency Exit 117 Al and Julie were gliding across now into the low river.
2006 Metro (Toronto) 15 Aug. 4 (caption) A fisheries guardian said he has never seen water so low.
b. Of a volume of liquid within a container: below the normal or required level; almost finished or run out. Frequently in to run low (see Phrases 6a). Cf. sense A. 18a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > insufficiency > [adjective] > less than enough or very little (of something)
low?a1475
meagre1809
scant1852
?a1475 Promptorium Parvulorum (Winch.) (1908) 270 Low, or ny dressys [a1500 BL Add. 37789 the drestis] or lyys, bassus.
1509 tr. A. de la Sale Fyftene Ioyes of Maryage (de Worde) (new ed.) vi. sig. Gviv For wyne wherof they spende Gooth lowe, and draweth fast vnto an ende.
1621 T. W. tr. S. Goulart Wise Vieillard 98 He..compares old age to Wine that is lowe and almost nothing but lees.
1825 R. Mudie Babylon the Great I. vii. 130 To ring the pitcher, when the wine is low.
1906 Nat. Mag. (U.S.) Feb. 486/1 Something perhaps to write of when the pen was poised in deliberation and the ink in the ink-well was low.
1998 G. Adams Casualty (BBC TV Production draft) 13th Ser. Episode 6. 37 I don't know. But I noticed that the old fire water was getting low.
2007 G. Morgan Petal 100 She knew when the whisky was low because she used to mark it with a pencil.
6. Phonetics. Of a vowel: produced with (the highest part of the body of) the tongue raised only a small degree towards the roof of the mouth; showing auditory characteristics typical of sounds traditionally described as being so articulated. Cf. high adj. 7, mid adj. 2b(a).American terminology favours the use of low and high in the classification of vowels, while British terminology more commonly uses open and close.For some background on this system of vowel classification, see mid adj. 2b(a).Frequently used in combination with one or more other adjectives; for more established uses of this type, see Compounds 2c.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > vowel > [adjective] > types of
openeOE
sharp?1533
simple1582
small1599
soft1625
obscurea1637
round1710
slender1755
close1760
wide1824
lowered1836
narrow1844
labialized1856
orinasal1856
central1857
reduced1861
free1864
high1867
low1867
mid1867
mixed1867
rounded1867
unrounded1871
raised1876
unreduced1894
obscured1897
spread1902
lax1909
slack1909
tense1909
centralized1926
flat1934
r-coloured1935
checked1943
1867 A. M. Bell Visible Speech: Sci. Universal Alphabetics 72 Three degrees of elevation of the tongue..are discriminated by the position of the ‘Definers’ on the vowel ‘stem’. The ‘Definers’ stand at the upper end of the stem for the ‘high’ vowel of each class; at the lower end for the ‘low’; and at both ends for the ‘mid’ vowel of each series.
1874 H. Sweet Hist. Eng. Sounds 43 Short u has in Icelandic and Dutch been changed into a front vowel—the high-front-wide-round in Icelandic, the low-front-narrow-round..in Dutch.
1876 H. Sweet Handbk. Phonetics 11 The vertical movements of the tongue produce various degrees of ‘height’, or distance from the palate... From among the infinite degrees of height three are selected, ‘high’, ‘mid’, and ‘low’. (i) is a high, (æ) a low vowel, while (e) as in ‘say’ is a mid vowel.
1911 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 466/2 That [first element] of (ai) is generally the out-mid-back-wide, that of (au) the broader low-mixed-wide.
1975 Language 51 276 The same pattern of spread from low to high vowels is observable in a great number of unrelated languages, including Korean, Thai, Breton.., French.., and Bakwiri.
1994 S. Romaine Lang. in Society iii. 82 The frequency of a low vowel in words such as peck, which then merges with pack.
II. Ranking below other people or things in class, status, or quality, and related senses.
7.
a. Of Christ incarnate: occupying a place below the angels in the hierarchy of creation. Also: designating the state of occupying such a position. Chiefly in comparative; cf. lower adj. 4b. Now archaic and poetic.After biblical use (Psalm, 8:5; Hebrews 2:9).
ΚΠ
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 3746 Lasse þann hiss enngell. & lahȝhre inoh.
?1567 M. Parker Whole Psalter viii. 15 His porte and state, more lowe then aungels bee.
1849 E. Caswall tr. Lyra Catholica 260 That man might be rais'd, Submitting to shame, A little more low Than the Angels [you] became.
a1978 A. S. Borrowman Buik o Ruth & Ither Wark in Lallans (1979) (Psalms 8:5) 18 O whatna sort's the son o man Sae brawlie saint tae be. Til him a place a bit mair laich Than angels' place ye gied.
b. Of animals and plants: having a simple or primitive organization (organization n. 1a). Also of humans, people, etc.: regarded as inferior in degree of civilization, primitive (now chiefly historical).Often, esp. in early use, with a notion of position in a hierarchy.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > customs, values, and civilization > a civilization or culture > [adjective] > specific types or forms of
lowa1387
primitive1838
pre-revolution1860
metronymic1868
pre-feudal1870
prelogical1880
polyzoic1886
pre-agricultural1898
pre-civil1902
pre-feudalic1907
subcultural1909
protocultural1920
pre-independencea1922
apparented1934
sensate1937
patrimonial1946
non-literate1948
inner-directed1950
underground1953
pop-cultural1963
technopolitan1965
the world > life > biology > organism > [adjective] > of level of organization > lower
lowa1387
lowly1851
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 181 Oistres and schelle fische, þat beeþ..lowest in bestene kynde, passeþ but litel þe perfeccioun of lyf of treen and of herbes.
?1548 J. Bale Comedy Thre Lawes Nature ii. sig. B God hath appoynted me, Mankynde to ouerse, And..To teache hym, for to knowe, In the creatures hygh and lowe, Hys gloryouse mageste.
1602 S. Patrick tr. I. Gentillet Disc. Wel Governing 55 Herodes, borne of a lowe and base race, was created king of Iudea.
1677 C. Sedley Antony & Cleopatra iii. ii. 25 Fond thoughts be gone, And melt some tender Virgin of low race.
1688 P. Rycaut tr. G. de la Vega Royal Comm. Peru (new ed.) vi. xxxi. 237 The Sun..being much more to be preferred before the Deity of a Fox, or other low and insignificant Animals of Sea and Land, to which they paid Divine Honours.
1747 tr. Mem. Nutrebian Court II. iii. 45 You would submit the mighty Pretejan's blood should be mixed with Maillan's, whose veins are filled with those of low race.
1865 E. B. Tylor Res. Early Hist. Mankind iv. 79 Languages spoken by very low races.
1881 J. Tyndall Ess. Floating Matter of Air 125 Germs of bacteria and other low organisms.
1903 S. V. Clevenger Evol. Man & His Mind xv. 493 Many low races of men make no better homes than some of the higher apes do.
1921 Washington Post 3 Oct. 75/7 Sprue, or psilosis, is a strange infection of the intestines and stomach by a low form of vegetative life similar to molds and yeasts.
2003 UFO Mag. Sept. 78/2 We may one day in the dim and distant future make contact with some probably low form of life.
2008 M. A. Abate Tomboys iv. 86 The first of these details recalls not only the era's belief in the simian character of ‘low’ races but also one of Tarzan's hallmarks: an arboreal nature.
8.
a. Originally: of or relating to the realm of the mundane or commonplace; lacking in elevation or adornment; (sometimes) spec. worldly, less holy or spiritual. Now more usually: of modest pretensions; not refined or sophisticated; (of art and culture) considered to be inferior in quality and refinement.Recorded earliest in the comparative: see lower adj. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > [adjective]
evil971
lowc1175
poor?c1225
feeblec1275
vilea1300
petty1372
unthende1377
secondary1386
petitc1390
unmeeta1393
illa1400
commonc1400
coarse1424
indigent1426
unlikelyc1450
lesser1464
gross1474
naughty1526
inferior1531
reprobate?1545
slender1577
unlikely1578
puny1579
under1580
wooden1592
sordid1596
puisne1598
provant1601
subministrant1604
inferious1607
sublunary1624
indifferent1638
undermatched1642
unworthy1646
underly1648
turncoated1650
female1652
undergraduate1655
farandinical1675
baddishc1736
ungenerous1745
understrapping1762
tinnified1794
demi-semi1805
shabby1805
dicky1819
poor white1821
tin-pot1838
deterior1848
substandard1850
crumby1859
cheesy1863
po'1866
not-quite1867
rocky1873
mouldy1876
low-grade1878
sketchy1878
midget1879
junky1880
ullaged1892
abysmal1904
bodgie1905
junk1908
crap1936
ropy1941
bodger1945
two-star1951
tripey1955
manky1958
schlocky1960
cack1978
wank1991
bowf1994
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 2664 Þohh þatt ȝho [sc. Elizabeth] wass haliȝ wif, Þohh wass ȝho miccle lahre. Þann ure laffdiȝ marȝe wass... Forr þatt elysabæþ wass wif, & marȝe maȝȝdenn clene.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 112 Þet swa unmete lach þing..schal draȝen into sunne swa unmete hech þing.
c1450 tr. Jan van Ruusbroec Treat. Perfection Sons of God (BL Add.) (1957) 237 Thees bene the lowe gyftys that oure lorde gyffes generally, bothe to his fryndes and foes.
a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 133 (heading) (MED) That man must ȝeue him to lowe workes [L. humilibus operibus] whan hye workes failen.
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Ep. Ded. sig. a3 My poore studies may in so lowe a cottage entertaine so high..dignities.
a1665 J. Goodwin Πλήρωμα τὸ Πνευματικόv (1670) xv. 433 That such a Doctrine or Ministry, which some count legal and low, is far more spiritful and raised than [etc.].
1665 G. Havers tr. P. della Valle Trav. E. India 91 Which low School of Reading and Writing, the said Fathers keep for more convenience of Children.
1728 A. Ramsay Last Speech Miser in Poems II. 102 Sic are but very laigh Concerns, Compar'd with thee.
1743 H. Fielding Jonathan Wild ii. vii, in Misc. III. 146 They past an Hour in a Scene of Tenderness, too low and contemptible to be recounted.
1753 Adventurer No. 39 The low drudgery of collating copies,..or accumulating compilations.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xx. 467 Much parliamentary ability of a low kind.
1856 C. Kingsley Plays & Puritans 31 To discriminate between high art and low art, they must have seen both.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 173 In patients of low type of intelligence.
1929 G. R. S. Taylor Eng. Polit. Portraits of 19th Cent. 283 While Gladstone was..dreaming of great ideals, Disraeli was criticising and analysing his fellows and endeavouring to make of their small facts and low thoughts a better society.
1983 ‘J. le Carré’ Little Drummer Girl i. 21 She disapproved of her daughter's low taste in music..and would not think to encourage it.
1996 Outlook (New Delhi) 28 Aug. 58/2 Low culture has its own peculiar energy and wisdoms: Bachchan's antics can be as exhilarating as Bach's concertos.
b. Of literary style or language: not refined or elevated; unsophisticated; rough, undignified. Also of a writer: that uses this type of language; uncultivated.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > inelegance > [adjective] > low in style
broad1490
low1518
bawdy1519
comical?1565
foot1582
tavernly1612
mean1659
gruff1681
vulgar1716
terra a terra1728
pedestrian1805
unraised1817
terre-à-terre1888
1518 W. Neville Castell of Pleasure sig. C.vi Wrote not Ouyde in as low style.
1672 J. Dryden Def. Epilogue in Conquest Granada 170 Never did any Author precipitate himself from such heights of thought to so low expressions, as he [sc. Shakespeare] often does.
1711 A. Pope Ess. Crit. 21 And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line.
1765 in Private Lett. Ld. Malmesbury (1870) I. 130 Superior to Runkenius..whose language is rather low.
1781 S. Johnson Prior in Pref. Wks. Eng. Poets VI. 57 Prior is never low, nor very often sublime.
1824 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Aug. 182/2 They may depend upon it, that the Whigs, particularly the low writers of the faction, hate them, and that no weapon is too dirty or too deadly, which will not be used by the faction.
1857 Peninsular Jrnl. Med. Dec. 312 The two most rabid political papers here..vied with each other in a disgraceful tirade in the low style suited to move an ignorant rabble.
1955 M. C. Bradbrook Growth & Struct. Elizabethan Comedy x. 165 With growing ease and flexibility in the use of the low style, even the high style could no longer retain its old formality.
1978 E. Jephcott tr. N. Elias Civilizing Process I. ii. 112 Low words used by the common people must be carefully avoided.
9. Of lowly position in a social scale; of humble rank, position, or background; without status. In later use chiefly applied to a person's class, status, etc., and overlapping with sense A. 12c (cf. also lower adj. 4a).
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > [adjective]
leasteOE
wokec897
littleOE
lowc1175
eathlyc1200
smallc1275
simplec1300
meana1375
humblec1386
ignoble1447
servile1447
base1490
slighta1500
sober1533
silly1568
unresponsal1579
dunghilled1600
villainous1607
without name1611
woollena1616
dunghilly1616
unresponsible1629
under-stateda1661
low-down1865
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 9319 Þatt toþþ..holeþþ o þe laȝhe leod. & rippeþþ hemm. & ræfeþþ.
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 35 Ne was þe engel isend..ne to none hege ne oregele men..ac to loge and eðeliche men.
a1350 in K. Böddeker Altengl. Dichtungen (1878) 203 (MED) Pore & loȝe þou were for ous.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iv. l. 3521 He hath set al his corage..Upon a Maide of lou astat.
?c1425 (c1412) T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum (Royal 17 D.vi) (1860) 101 Alle suche mayntenaunce..Sustenede is not by persones lowe [a1450 Harl. lawe].
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) iv. l. 184 King Eduuardis man he was..Off rycht law byrth.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 264 Hie vertew may stand in law estait.
a1544 H. Latimer Let. in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1563) 1324/1 We lowe subiectes are bounde to obey powers, and their ordinaunces.
a1626 J. Davies 2nd Let. to Earl of Salisbury in Hist. Tracts (1786) (modernized text) 286 He..had power to cut [tax] upon all the inhabitants, high, or low, as pleased him.
1718 Free-thinker No. 7. 2 I shall subjoin a Matrimonial Story in Low-Life.
1770 Gentleman's Mag. 40 426 That the low people never taste flesh is a proof of their extreme poverty.
1821 J. Bentham Elements Art of Packing 140 One law for gentlemen, another for low people.
1844 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece VIII. lxvi. 441 Andriscus, a young man of low birth,..had been..acknowledged as king.
1901 E. L. Cameron Two Cousins & Castle xviii. 143 The mother, as I have heard, was of low class. Bad blood always comes out.
1968 Brit. Jrnl. Psychiatry 114 734/2 We have classified the occupations into three broad groups as follows: High social status..; Middle social status..; Low social status—Unskilled labourers, day-jobbers, etc.
2005 F. Johnston S. Johnson & Art of Sinking i. ii. 37 Shamela had mocked a gentleman's condescension to a woman of superlatively low birth.
10. Humble in character or disposition; meek. Also in extended use. Now rare, or merged into sense A. 9.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > humility > [adjective]
heanc825
daftc1000
edmedec1000
edmodc1000
edmodeda1175
sheepishc1175
deftc1220
edmodi?c1225
lowc1225
humblec1250
beienlichc1275
buxoma1300
meekc1325
benign1377
lowlya1382
contemptiblec1384
pridelessc1395
humil1488
low-down1548
unproud1570
demiss1572
unpuffed1577
afflicted1590
unselfdelicious1605
cottagely1653
unselfvaluing1668
simplified1721
demissivea1763
stateless1844
maiden-meek1847
vanityless1854
patronizable1884
c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 22 (MED) Þe rihtwise godd wule þet we demen us seolf eðeliche & lahe.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 2256 Thou most..with low herte humblesce suie.
1428 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 5 Ye law submission of ye sayd John Lyllyng.
c1450 (c1400) Cuckoo & Nightingale (Fairf.) (1975) l. 3 The god of love..can make of lowe hertys hie, And highe lowe.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 42v Let your lordship lystyn with a loue ere.
a1600 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) II. 38 In the meane tyme held thame selffis lewche and quyit.
a1654 G. Fox Jrnl. (1952) (modernized text) 176 All friends be low, and keep in the life of God to keep you low.
1797 R. Proud Hist. Pennsylvania I. ix. 333 Out of that low and humble frame of spirit it is, that true charity grows.
1836 E. B. Browning Poet's Vow in Seraphim 94 I thought..That looking on the heaven and earth Did keep us soft and low.
1857 Househ. Words Extra Christmas No. 36/2 What put it in my low heart to be so daring,..I am unable to say.
1912 Mixer & Server 15 Aug. 52/1 Let us low and meek ordinary human beings get back to where we left off: let us keep sight of the need of encouraging our fellow worker outside of our organization to get inside.
11.
a. That is in an a poor, miserable, or unfortunate condition; not flourishing or advanced. Frequently as the complement of a verb: see also Phrases 2a, Phrases 4, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [adjective] > not prospering or flourishing > specifically of the state of a thing
low1600
c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Royal) 467 Þeo þet heieð ham her leist ham swiðe lahe.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xi. l. 61 (MED) Pouerte pursued me and put me lowe.
1578 J. Rogers Displaying Secte Heretiques (new ed.) sig. E.viiiv Almightie God hath cast our condition & state so lowe, that wtout his mercie set foorth by Christe, we all perishe.
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iii. ii. 315 My Creditors growe cruell, my estate is very low . View more context for this quotation
1686 tr. J. Chardin Trav. Persia 68 During the weak and low Condition of the Eastern Emperors.
1749 Alarm-bell 3 Whoever will please to consider, at this time, the low Condition of our Sugar Colonies, and the great Increase of the French.
1844 T. Wright Anecd. Lit. 23 Of course we ought to make great allowances for the low state of this branch of philology in Tyrwhitt's time.
1879 H. Phillips Addit. Notes upon Coins 11 The action is spirited and by no means so stiff as the low state of the arts would have warranted us in expecting.
1890 R. F. Horton Bk. Proverbs xiii. 190 Surely now I am low enough, am I not humbled in the dust?
1994 E. McNamee Resurrection Man (1998) ix. 72 I wrote to the papers about the innocence of my son and the low state of justice in this country.
b. Of a commodity, product, etc.: not having a high standard of fineness; low-grade. Now somewhat rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > inferior thing > [adjective]
salec1299
bastarda1348
sorry1372
slight1393
shrewd1426
singlec1449
backc1450
soberc1450
lesser1464
silly?a1500
starven1546
mockado1577
subaltern1578
bastardly1583
wooden1592
starved1604
perishing1605
starveling1611
minor1612
starvy1647
potsherd1655
low1727
la-la1800
waif1824
lathen1843
one-eyed1843
snide1859
bobbery1873
jerkwater1877
low-grade1878
shoddy1882
tinhorn1886
jerk1893
cheapie1898
shaganappi1900
buckeye1906
reach-me-down1907
pissy1922
crappy1928
cruddy1935
el cheapo1967
pound shop1989
1727 A. Hamilton New Acct. E. Indies I. i. 8 Sena abounds in Elephants Teeth and low Gold, of 18 or 19 carects Fineness.
c1740 Wimble's List of Snuffs in F. W. Fairholt Tobacco (1859) v. 269 English Rappee..Best Dunkerque Rappee..Rappee Bergamot..Low Rappee.
?1756 Effectual Remedy prevent Smuggling 25 The Demand for low Tea in France, often exhausts their Stock.
1817 European Mag. Oct. 381/1 The request at Liverpool for low Tobacco has greatly increased.
1835 A. Ure Philos. Manuf. 140 Hence, by the plan of mixture, much low English wools are consumed in our cloth manufacture, that would otherwise find no market at all.
1876 Trans. & Proc. Royal Soc. Victoria 12 89 The surcharge will be greater in samples of gold of high fineness, than in those of low gold.
1908 Trop. Agriculturalist Apr. 383/1 The grocer could gain neither profit nor reputation by cutting retail prices in low tea.
1921 Amer. Wool & Cotton Reporter 3 Feb. 443/2 The placing of orders for men's wear fabrics should soon be reflected in a better demand for medium and low yarns.
2008 N. K. Patteta Bhatia's Dentogist (ed. 5) 129/2 Low gold or economy golds are..non-yellow coloured but with gold content less than 60%.
12. With depreciative connotation.
a. Without morals; despicable, ignoble; base. Also: obsequious, self-abasing.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > ignobleness or baseness > [adjective]
theowlikec1175
low?c1225
undignec1315
unfreec1330
base?1518
roynish1570
baseborn1573
base-minded1573
haskardly1576
ignoble1592
unnoble1593
slavish1597
disnoble1609
infimous1613
unhandsome1645
unheroical1656
mean1665
unworthy1694
unheroic1732
raff1761
undignified1782
raffish1795
truculent1825
unpromotable1836
menial1837
low-flung1841
society > morality > moral evil > evil nature or character > lack of magnanimity or noble-mindedness > [adjective] > base or vile
low?c1225
lechera1300
vilea1300
feeblea1325
unfreec1330
villain1340
wrackc1375
villains1390
noughty1443
slovenly?1518
peasant1550
sluttish1561
vild1567
knaifatic1568
scallardc1575
base1576
tinkerly?1576
beggarly?1577
cullion-like1591
brokerly1592
broking1592
ignoble1592
cullionly1608
disnoble1609
unsolid1731
lowly1740
blackguard1751
blackguardly1779
menial1837
low-flung1841
caddish1868
basilar1884
bounding1904
bounderish1928
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 284 Se he[ch] ȝeoue nes neauer iȝeuen to se lachȝe [c1230 Corpus Cambr. lahe, a1250 Nero louwe] wrecches.
c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 94 Maters and trouþis of sum craft ful louȝ and vnworþi.
1525 J. Gough tr. J. Ryckes Ymage of Loue xiii. sig. f.iij It [sc. charity] Ioyned ye moost hye and pure nature to the moost lowe and vyle nature wherin it wrought merueylouse thynges.
1559 W. Baldwin et al. Myrroure for Magistrates Mowbray f. xiiii Through flattery loe, I dyd his yil vpholde.
a1627 J. Beaumont Bosworth-field (1629) 75 In thee Is endlesse good, and boundlesse ill in mee..All creatures proue me abiect, but how low, Thou onely know'st.
1666 S. Pepys Diary 8 Sept. (1972) VII. 282 Much..discourse..of the low spirits of some rich men in the City, in sparing any encouragement to the poor people that wrought for the saving their houses.
1738 R. Price Serm. King's Chapel 10 The Example and Virtue of the King will level those high Persons to their low Crimes.
1799 J. Robertson Gen. View Agric. Perth 401 Flattery or fawning or other low arts.
1805 Monthly Mag. 29 657 The rapacity, the selfish unfeeling, the low cunning of Odysseus.
1895 Law Times 99 507/1 Whenever a dramatist wished to introduce intrigue, chicanery, or other dirty work, his dramatis personæ included a low attorney.
1940 W. H. Auden Another Time iii. iv. 112 I sit in one of the dives On Fifty-Second Street..As the clever hopes expire Of a low dishonest decade.
2003 J. Hess My Times vii. 76 It was that sort of experience that caused me to predict, when Rupert Murdoch bought the New York Post in 1976, that we Americans would now learn how low journalism can get.
b. Of a woman: (regarded as) morally or socially degraded, or of dubious morality or virtue; dissolute, licentious.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > profligacy, dissoluteness, or debauchery > [adjective]
wild13..
desolatec1386
unthrifty1388
riotousc1405
resolute?a1475
palliard1484
dissolutea1513
royetous1526
sluttishc1555
rakehell1556
dissolutious1560
rakehelly1579
hell-raking1593
sportive1597
low1599
lavish1600
rakellyc1600
profligate1627
profligated1652
rantipole1660
abandoned1690
raking1696
rakish1696
dissipated1744
dissipating1818
outward1875
1599 in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. iv. 431 [Paid] to John Wosley for his horse and dragge to be used for the whippinge of low woomene, 4d.
a1627 H. Shirley Martyr'd Souldier (1638) v. sig. H3v Doe you heare, you low woman, hold not downe your head so for shame.
1758 M.-A. Pillement Hist. Marchioness de Pompadour II. 81 He had..faln into a libertine course of life, and kept a number of low women.
1880 New Englander Jan. 49 Whence came this low wench to defile and trouble the royal hareem?
1918 Ohio Public Health Jrnl. Dec. 508/2 The tradition too that a certain number of low women always have followed the camp, and always will, is strong.
2010 S. McDonald Diana Comet 61 Or perhaps a low woman, one brought out to sell herself for pennies here and pennies there.
c. Characterized by a lack of good breeding; coarse, vulgar; not socially respectable.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > bad taste > lack of refinement > [adjective] > coarse
agrest?1440
robust1511
roynish1570
sowish1570
lubberlike1572
lubberly1580
ordinarya1586
roborean1656
porcine1660
coarse1680
crude1722
low1725
piggish1742
coarse-graineda1774
crass1861
coarse-fibred1872
barnyard1895
farmyard1911
rough as guts1919
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > low or vulgar person > [adjective]
carlisha1240
lewdc1380
carlc1450
villain1483
ruffian1528
shake-ragged1550
porterlike1568
popular1583
ungracious1584
ordinarya1586
tapsterly1589
mechanic1598
round-headed1598
base-like1600
strummell-patch1600
porterly1603
scrubbing1603
vernaculous1607
plebeian1615
reptile1653
proletarian1663
mobbish1695
low1725
terraefilial1745
low-lifed1747
Whitechapel1785
lowlife1794
boweryish1846
gutter1849
bowery1852
lowish1886
swab1914
lumpen1944
1725 N. Zinzano Servants Calling 24 It only makes 'em the more unfit for the..low Company they [sc. servants] must keep, when out of Service.
1759 W. H. Dilworth Life of Pope 18 Notwithstanding Mr. Wycherley's low behaviour to Mr. Pope.
1780 F. Burney Let. May in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (2003) IV. 106 She has evidently kept low Company.
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xii. 102 Tilda's friends are low people.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. iv. 483 A considerable number of low fanatics..regarded him as a public benefactor.
1861 S. Wilberforce in R. G. Wilberforce Life S. Wilberforce (1882) III. i. 27 They [sc. Irish priests] are generally low fellows—McHale is a very coarse low fellow himself.
1903 Intoxicating Liquors (Licenses Refused) 25 in Parl. Papers LVI. 547 The premises were the habitual resort of a low class of person and were frequently the scene of disorderly and disgraceful proceedings.
1921 Bookman Feb. 523/2 Utterly without shame was Gay to ask the gentry to interest themselves in the affairs of such low people.
2002 Daily Mail (Nexis) 5 Nov. 14 Among the low company I keep in London, we'd say he was playing pocket billiards.
13. Of an opinion, estimation, etc.: expressing the belief that something is of little worth; unfavourable, disparaging.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > [adjective]
low1612
1612 T. Taylor Αρχὴν Ἁπάντων: Comm. Epist. Paul to Titus (ii. 6) 409 The low estimation [of the Apostles] of the simple and ignorant, who esteemed of the preaching of the Gospel but as foolishnes.
1615 A. Stafford Heavenly Dogge 36 He was so far from a low opinion of himselfe, that hee thought his fellowship was richly worth a thanksgiuing.
a1635 R. Sibbes Beames Divine Light (1639) 287 Let us..labour to have low judgements of our selves, what we are in our selves, empty of all good, defiled with all ill.
1740 C. Cibber Apol. Life C. Cibber ix. 176 She mutter'd out her Words in a sort of mifty manner, at my low Opinion of her.
1797 T. Gisborne Enq. Duties Female Sex iii. 34 Repugnance to graver studies, and a too low estimation of their worth.
1812 H. C. Robinson Diary 3 May in On Bks. & their Writers (1938) I. 70 Coleridge is indignant at the low estimation in which the Post-Kantians affect to treat their master.
1882 Cent. Mag. Dec. 301/1 I don't know why college-bred men seem to have a low opinion of agricultural life.
1938 Mind 47 534 Agreeing with the author in a low estimate of Pascal's wager.
1986 A. James Sovereign Statehood vi. 151 There are a number of reasons which cause some states to take a low view of others.
2001 Farmers Guardian 17 Aug. 9/2 For a Government minister..and a key adviser..to state publicly their low estimation of farmers and farming is yet another spectacular own goal.
14. Christian Church. Of or relating to the Low Church (Low Church n.); characteristic of the Low Church, esp. in placing relatively little emphasis on ritual or sacraments. Also: not constituting an extreme form, moderate. Opposed to high adj. 13a.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > sect > Christianity > Protestantism > Anglicanism > Low Church > [adjective]
Low Church1702
low1706
Hoadlyan1800
1706 Rehearsal 20 July in C. Leslie View of Times (1708) I I have often told for what Wicked End the Distinction of High and Low has of Late, been brought in among us.
1778 J. Priestley Free Discuss. Doctr. Materialism iii. iii. 202 An attack upon Arianism, and both what is called the high and the low Arian hypothesis, which I consider separately.
1854 S. Wilberforce Let. in R. G. Wilberforce Life S. Wilberforce (1881) II. vi. 234 The Church of England will seem to be committed to Low doctrine, which she does not teach, as to this sacrament.
1857 W. B. Sprague Ann. Amer. Pulpit 703 He declared himself to be not a high Calvinist, nor a low Calvinist, but a Calvinist, a consistent Calvinist.
1862 M. Oliphant Chrons. Carlingford 19/1 The Church had been low during the rector's reign—profoundly low—lost in the deepest abysses of Evangelicalism.
1881 A. Trollope Dr. Wortle's School I. i. 6 Among them [sc. Low Church prelates] there was none more low, more pious, more sincere.
1965 Jrnl. Econ. Hist. 25 588 The Liberian churches (as distinct from the European and American missionaries) are adaptations of low Protestant sects.
2011 Church Times 28 Oct. 40/2 We live in Twickenham and go to a Low Anglican church there.
III. Smaller than average, or below the normal level, in value, size, or quantity, and related senses.
15.
a. That is below average, or barely above the minimum, in amount, level, or degree of intensity. Frequently with implied reference to position in a graduated scale.In recent use modifying nouns denoting importance, e.g. importance, priority, etc., often overlapping with the sense of ranking covered in branch A. II.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > low in degree or intensity
littleeOE
lowa1300
remiss1620
low-grade1891
a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) l. 383 Ðo arn ðe little, in leue laȝe; Ðe mikle ne maiȝ he to him draȝen.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) Prol. l. 924 Right now the hyhe wyndes blowe, And anon after thei ben lowe.
a1586 Lindsay MS f. 46v, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Law a. Of the colour sad and law lyk walx.
1715 G. Cheyne Philos. Princ. Relig. (ed. 2) i. vi. 321 We see an Image of this slow and low kind of Life in Swallows, Insects, Vipers [etc.].
1742 W. Ellis London & Country Brewer (ed. 4) I. 72 The Grinding also must be considered, according to the high or low Drying of the Malt.
1774 W. Buchan Domest. Med. (ed. 3) xxiii. 259 The fever is kept low, and the eruption greatly lessened.
1831 D. Brewster Treat. Optics ix. 83 Muriatic acid has too low a refractive and dispersive power to fit it for [etc.].
1834 S. Cooper Good's Study Med. (ed. 4) III. 48 Hence, also, the terms high madness and low madness.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxii. 151 Friends who visited me always complained of the low temperature of my room.
1875 C. D. E. Fortnum Maiolica xii. 132 Grotesques..in low olive tint on a blue ground.
1945 Rev. Mod. Physics 17 482 If the reaction was not to ‘run away’, it was essential to make use of neutrons of very low energy in the individual steps of the chain process.
1957 Times 21 Dec. 5/3 The low level of noise and vibration, which is a feature of gas turbine engined aircraft, makes a long journey less tiring.
1958 Times 7 July 9/3 In England, transport gets a priority so low that it should really be described as a posteriority.
1986 New Yorker 10 Feb. 51/2 Go long enough with low sleep and you can begin seeing things.
2003 R. J. Rosania Presentation Basics iii. 30 Remember that low excitement from you means low reaction from your audience.
2006 New Scientist 13 May 50/2 This allows the amygdala to create a ‘salience landscape’, in which hills and valleys correspond to high and low importance.
b. Of a price, rate, amount, etc.: having a small numerical value. Also: (of goods) having such a price.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > low price or rate > [adjective]
simplea1387
low1437
moderate1531
base1581
moderable1623
1437 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. Jan. 1437 §21. m. 5 Fermours..mown nout selle ther cornes but to lowe price.
1566 R. Smart Great Thankes to Welcome (single sheet) Full well by his crying a man may now know, Where veale may be bought of a price very low.
1602 2nd Pt. Returne fr. Parnassus iv. iii. 1794 If we can intertaine these schollers at a low rate.
1683 Apol. Protestants France ii. 23 Merchants subsist by their Credit: if their credit be low, they must fall.
1693 J. Dryden in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires xiv. 284 So of old Was Blood, and Life, at a low-Market sold.
1695 J. Locke Further Considerations conc. Raising Value of Money 18 It [sc. the Exchange] is Low when he pays less than the Par.
1742 J. Hurlock Pract. Treat. Dentition xviii. 258 Seventeen [deaths] per Week..was a very low Number considering the Fulness of this Metropolis of Inhabitants.
1796 European Mag. & London Rev. Oct. 51/1 Very cheap I suppose, as the price of forfeited estates then went low.
1798 Monthly Mag. 6 236 Horses still continue low [in price].
1801 Edinb. Mag. Oct. 285/2 Small annuities for life have been annexed..to redeemable annuities, to make up the par of money interest at low interest.
1885 Manch. Examiner 12 Nov. 5/2 Chinese workmen..work for low wages.
1890 Railway World 13 Sept. 866/2 There is nothing new in water freights from the coastwise ports; they continue low, and favor the buyer of coal.
1906 Protectionist Mar. 592/1 The present duty on Brushes is too low.
1967 L. Plotnicov Strangers to City vi. 147 To keep the rent low he would not use electricity.
1987 N.Y. Times 2 July c12 Steven Samuels of the Ceiling Fan Place suggested that prospective fan buyers..put it on a low setting to see how much noise it makes.
2007 Condé Nast Traveller May (Shopaholic's Guide) 1 Every fashionista's dream of finding high style at low prices.
c. Games. Of a playing card, die, etc.: having the smallest, or a particularly small, numerical value in the context of a particular game, hand, etc.; (also) designating the value itself. Now chiefly: designating the ace as a low-ranking rather than high-ranking card.Recorded earliest in to run low (see Phrases 6b).
ΚΠ
1593 J. Eliot Ortho-epia Gallica 59/2 See me these dice run low.
1863 ‘Cavendish’ Princ. Whist (ed. 5) 42 Underplay is keeping up the winning card, generally in the second round of a suit, by leading a low card, though holding the best.
1871 Routledge's Every Boy's Ann. 342 It would be suicidal to play a very low domino in order to save a double-five and a four-five.
1911 Cent. Dict. at Poker-dice In the eastern United States, when ordinary dice are used aces beat sixes, but in the western United States and in Australia aces are low.
1945 A. A. Ostrow Compl. Card Player 578 Oklahoma Rummy.., the cards rank in sequence as in standard rummy, but ace is high only and never low. Deuces are wild.
1999 J. May Shut Up & Deal ii. 90 He wings into the pot like he's trying to stone the dealer, who says deuce of diamonds is low.
2002 S. A. Barry Great Solitaire Games 47 Klondike... Aces are low in this game.
d. Of light or radiant heat, or a source of this: not bright or intense; weak, dim, reduced. Cf. burn low at burn v.1 2c(b). Also figurative.With reference to a flame, candle, etc., often with implication of small physical extent; cf. sense A. 1a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > [adjective] > weak or reduced
low?1770
the world > matter > light > intensity of light > [adjective] > less bright
dazzled1576
undershining1581
dimmed1590
low1811
the world > matter > light > darkness or absence of light > dimness or absence of brightness > [adjective] > specifically of light
palec1385
thin1649
mazy1728
low1811
1595 S. Daniel First Fowre Bks. Ciuile Warres iv. i. sig. S4 Close smothered lay the low depressed fire.
1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique ii. xliii. 280 Melt the whole by little and little, still stirring it with a spatule, and keeping a low fire without increasing of it.
1660 T. Forde Loves Labyrinth iii. ii, in Virtus Rediviva 32 A low and creeping flame Befits a chimney, not a lovers breast.
?1770 J. Warltire Conc. Ess. Philos. & Chem. Subj. ii. 20 When metals are to be melted that require but a low heat, small iron dishes may be commodiously employed.
1811 P. B. Shelley St. Irvyne i. 17 'Twas dead of the night, when I sat in my dwelling; One glimmering lamp was expiring and low.
1871 B. Taylor tr. J. W. von Goethe Faust II. v. iv. 356 The fire sinks down, and flickers low.
1885 M. Arnold Poor Matthias in Poems III. 198 As age comes on, I know, Poet's fire gets faint and low.
1919 E. O'Neill In Zone in Moon of Caribbees 85 A lantern in the middle of the floor, turned down very low, throws a dim light.
1932 W. Faulkner Light in August v. 108 Four people sat about a card table, the white faces intent and sharp in the low light.
1968 Boys' Life Nov. 22/2 Keep the heat low by holding the pan well above the coals.
2003 N.Y. Times Mag. 9 Nov. 102/2 I smoked the meat for six hours over a very low flame on top of the stove.
e. Geography. Of a latitude: near the equator (and, therefore, denoted by a low number).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > geodetic references > [adjective] > latitude > close to equator (of latitude)
low1722
1722 T. Haselden Descr. & Use Mercator's Chart 24 This Scale..may serve well enough in small Distances, or in pretty large ones in low Latitudes.
1814 H. M. Williams tr. A. von Humboldt Personal Narr. Trav. I. 63 The existence of this cold strata in the low latitudes is an evident proof of the existence of an inferior current.
1869 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 174 The ‘streamers’ cease to be visible before they reach low southern latitudes.
1969 Arctic & Alpine Res. 1 19/2 Eight islands with a mean latitude lower than Devon have a higher frequency of polyploidy.
2004 D. Pugh Changing Sea Levels vi. 141 There is a natural distinction between the effects of storms at low latitudes (tropical surges) and those at higher latitudes (extra-tropical surges).
16.
a. Emotionally depressed; dejected, dispirited; despondent. Frequently in low spirits.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > [adjective]
ungladc888
wearyc888
drearyc1000
dreary-moodOE
heavyc1000
unmerryOE
droopy?c1225
mournc1275
sada1300
languishinga1325
amayedc1330
matec1330
unlightc1330
unblissful1340
lowa1382
mishappyc1390
dullc1393
elengely1393
droopinga1400
heavy-hearteda1400
joylessa1400
sytefula1400
mornifc1400
tristy?c1400
lightless?1406
heartlessa1413
tristc1420
amatec1425
languoring?c1425
mirthlessc1430
heavisome1435
darkc1440
gloomingc1440
comfortlessc1460
amateda1470
chermatc1475
tristfula1492
lustless?1507
dolorous1513
ruthful1513
downcast1521
deject1528
heartsicka1529
lumpisha1535
coolc1540
dowlyc1540
glum1547
discouraged1548
uncheerfulc1555
dumpish1560
out of heart1565
sadded1566
amoped1573
tristive1578
desolated1580
dejected1581
à la mort1586
delightless1589
afflicted1590
gladless1590
groanful1590
gloomya1593
muddy1592
sitheful1592
cloudy1594
leaden-hearted1596
disconsolated1598
clum1599
life-weary1599
spiritless1600
dusky1602
chop-fallen1604
flat1604
disanimated1605
jaw-fallen1605
moped1606
chap-fallen1608
decheerful1608
uncheerful1612
lacklustrea1616
pulled1616
dumpya1618
depressed1621
head-hung1632
grum1640
downa1644
dispirited1647
down-at-mouth1649
down in (rarely of) the mouth1649
unhearted1650
sunlessa1658
sadful1658
unlightened1659
chagrin1665
saddened1665
damp1667
moping1674
desponding1688
tristitious1694
unenjoying1697
unraised1697
unheartya1699
unked1698
despondent1699
dismal1705
unjoyful1709
unrejoiced1714
dreara1717
disheartened1720
mumpish1721
unrejoicing1726
downhearted1742
out of spirits1745
chagrineda1754
low-spirited1753
sombrea1767
black-blooded1771
glumpy1780
oorie1787
sombrous1789
morose1791
Novemberish1793
glumpish1800
mopeful1800
die-away1802
blue-devilish1804
blue-devilled1807
malagrugrous1818
down in the hip1826
yonderly1828
sunshineless1831
downfaced1832
broody1851
in a (or the) trough1856
blue-devilly1871
drooped1873
glummy1884
pippy1886
humpy1889
pipped1914
lousy1933
pissed1943
crappy1956
doomy1961
bummed1970
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Ecclus. xxv. 31 A loeȝ herte [L. Cor humile], and a dreri face, and a wounde of deth, a shreude womman.
1623 J. Hayward Davids Teares (new ed.) 244 With a sad broken spirit, from a low deiected heart, I humbly turne, and breath forth my complaints before thee.
1694 tr. Scarron Incens'd 29 But I was low, and knew not which way i'th' World to turn me.
1744 G. Berkeley Siris (ESTC T72826) §101 Lives which seem hardly worth living for bad appetite, low spirits, restless nights.
1779 E. Burke Let. 20 Aug. in Corr. (1963) IV. 125 I am low and dejected at times, in a way not to be described.
1804 ‘Gabrielli’ Something Odd! I. 216 His low spirits, which are indeed so very bad at times, as to bore and vapour one to death.
1822 W. Hazlitt Let. 31 May (1978) cxiv. 264 Her putting up with this prick of a fellow, merely for bore and measurement and gross manners, sets me low indeed.
1894 H. Caine Manxman iii. xii. 170 She's wake and low and nervous, so no kissing.
1939 M. Lowry Let. in Sursum Corda! (1995) I. 221 A man who, every time he feels low, or frightened, jumps into the vino or what have you.
1969 Ebony Sept. 71/1 (advt.) When a kid pops a couple of caps.., he experiences a real high. When he comes down, he's so low he's tempted to start another run.
1990 R. Pilcher September xxi. 251 The weeks of dark clouds and sunlessness had done much to contribute to her low spirits and physical exhaustion.
2006 Weight Watchers Mag. June 30/4 When I felt low..I'd often turn to food like cheese and onion crisps or chocolate.
b. Lacking bodily strength or vigour; poorly nourished, weak, fragile; (of physical condition) poor, bad.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > [adjective] > in state of ill health or diseased > weak
unmightyeOE
unferea1060
unwieldc1220
fade1303
lewc1325
weak1340
fainta1375
sicklyc1374
unwieldyc1386
impotent1390
delicatea1398
lowa1398
unmighta1450
unlustyc1450
low-brought1459
wearyc1480
failed1490
worn1508
caduke?1518
fainty1530
weak1535
debile1536
fluey1545
tewly?1547
faltering1549
puling1549
imbecilec1550
debilitate1552
flash1562
unable1577
unhealthful1595
unabled1597
whindling1601
infirm1608
debilitated1611
bedrid1629
washya1631
silly1636
fluea1645
tender1645
invaletudinary1661
languishant1674
valetudinaire?c1682
puly1688
thriftless1693
unheartya1699
wishy-washy1703
enervate1706
valetudinarian1713
lask1727
wersh1755
palliea1774
wankle1781
asthenic1789
atonic1792
squeal1794
adynamic1803
worn-down1814
totterish1817
asthenical1819
prostrate1820
used up1823
wankya1825
creaky1834
groggy1834
puny1838
imbeciled1840
rickety-rackety1840
muscleless1841
weedy1849
tottery1861
crocky1880
wimbly-wambly1881
ramshackle1889
twitterly1896
twittery1907
wonky1919
strung out1959
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. iv. iii. 140 Also it [sc. dryness]..makeþ þe body lene and lowe.
1486 Bk. St. Albans sig. cj Sum put hawkys in mew at high estate, and sum when thay be right low.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 317/2 Lowe of complexyon, fieble.
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 197 They keepe them low & down by subtraction of their meat.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 105 Before his Training, keep him poor and low . View more context for this quotation
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 585 He was so low, that it was not probable he could live many weeks.
1783 H. Watson in Med. Communications 1 165 She..grew low from loss of appetite.
1802 E. Parsons Myst. Visit II. 62 So low and ill, that she gladly accepted a small cup of usquebaugh.
1887 Poor Nellie (1888) 162 When I had my severe crisis off Vera Cruz, I was frightfully low at the time.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 575 If..the patient is in low condition, an improvement in the diet may be of service.
1925 T. Dreiser Amer. Trag. II. iii. xxx. 360 He was exceedingly low and not expected to live.
1952 G. F. Hervey & J. Hems Freshwater Trop. Aquarium Fishes vii. 79 When..a fish is in low health the supply of mucus is interrupted and the spores enter the body of the fish.
2005 D. Sanders & F. Wills Cognitive Therapy (ed. 2) ii. 40 When you feel physically low, you want to sleep all the time.
c. Of diet: offering the minimum required without elaboration or luxury; simple, basic; without animal products or alcohol; (with negative sense) affording little nourishment or stimulation; poor.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > qualities of food > [adjective] > nourishing > not
mistrum?c1225
leanc1325
weak1382
hungry1561
excremental1576
unnourishable1590
low1603
excrementitial1620
heartless1620
excrementitious1623
inalimental1626
sustenanceless1630
lifeless1633
excrementious1636
oligotrophic1659
meagre1663
unnutritive1700
innutritious1796
unnutritious1821
innutrient1822
unalimentary1822
unnourishing1826
innutritive1844
foodless1916
1603 R. Mulcaster Comforting Complaint in In Mortem Reginæ Elizabethæ sig. Bv If she had been before a maried Queene, Or not haue vs'd a diet low and spare, Her life had not endur'd in strength so long.
1650 J. French tr. G. Dorn Chymicall Dict. ix. 110 in tr. M. Sędziwóg New Light of Alchymie Hee must remaine a Mercenary servant, and slave, pining away with much labour, and low feeding.
1699 G. Harvey Vanities Philos. & Physick xii. 184 Friends of the Patients also, who..are willing to be watchful over them, and keep them quiet and in a low moderate Diet.
a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 216 These were both..men of great sobriety: And they lived in a constant low diet.
1752 G. Berkeley Farther Thoughts Tar-water in Misc. 22 Ireland, where People live on such low Diet as sour Milk and Potatoes.
1863 F. A. Kemble Jrnl. Resid. Georgian Plantation 111 The general low diet of the slaves.
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. III. 367 The patient should be put on a low diet.
1997 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 352 129/1 Some insects kept on a low diet will even continue moulting indefinitely..until a better diet enables them to reach the critical size to become adult.
17.
a. Of a voice, sound, pitch, etc.: produced or characterized by relatively slow acoustic vibrations; deep, bass; resonant; (also occasionally) flat. Contrasted with high adj. 17b.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > [adjective] > low
lowa1393
bassa1450
deepa1616
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. l. 171 Men pronounce alofte, Nou scharpe notes and nou softe, Nou hihe notes and nou lowe.
a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 231 Tho..haue the voice atte the begynnynge of the worde grete and lowe.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 845/1 With a low voyse, a basse voyx.
1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke 166 Songs which are made..in the low key.
a1600 A. Montgomerie Misc. Poems iii. 14 Sing sho tua notis, the one is out of tone, As B acre lau and B moll far abone.
1656 T. Blount Glossographia Sordine or Sordet, the little Pipe or Tenon, put into the mouth of a Trumpet, to make it sound low.
1706 A. Bedford Temple Musick ix. 173 I..shall suppose it to begin with low Notes, like the Mourning of a Dove.
1790 J. Dent Bastille (ed. 2) 22 (stage direct.) Low Music, Britannia descends, seated in her Triumphal Carr.
1840 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 7 Nov. 330/1 Sometimes it was a low C, bellowed forth as if from a trombone, sometimes a G above the line, squeaked as if by an asthmatic flageolet.
1878 Grove's Dict. Music I. 27/1 These [words] are ‘high’ and ‘low’, the former denoting greater, the latter less, rapidity of vibration.
1881 Nature No. 616. 358 A low booming tone to which musicians give the name of the grave harmonic.
1921 F. S. Mathews Field Bk. Wild Birds & their Music (rev. ed.) 226 The Nuthatches have no song; their call-note is a decided nasal monotone of an extremely low pitch.
1997 N.Y. Times 27 Dec. a24/6 He inserted a hiccupy high note into a lovely row of low tones.
b. Of the voice, a sound, etc.: not loud; soft, quiet.In some quots. with admixture of sense A. 17a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > faintness or weakness > [adjective]
smalleOE
stillc1000
softc1230
dim1398
lowc1400
obscure?a1450
basea1500
remiss1530
indistinct1589
demiss1646
faint1660
murmurant1669
faintish1712
slender1785
under1806
unclamorous1849
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > quality of voice > [adjective] > pleasant > soft or gentle voice
stillc1000
smalla1325
lowc1400
submiss1585
feigning1600
submissive1632
summiss1742
submitted1806
cushioned1909
c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 722 Jn his deþ-þrowe he was swowe, And spaak to Alisaundre (ac it was low), ‘O, gentil kniȝth.’
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 1575 He herde a murmurynge Ful lowe and dym.
1518 H. Watson tr. Hystorye Olyuer of Castylle xxxviii. sig. F.ii She approched more nerer, and sayd with a lowe voyce. Alas my frende what lacke ye.
1591 W. Garrard & R. Hitchcock Arte of Warre i. 30 Euen in the Pauilions they did not speak but with a low soft voice.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xxiv. 269 Her voyce was euer soft, Gentle and low, an excellent thing in women. View more context for this quotation
1651 W. Davenant Gondibert ii. iii. 33 Now the Drums, the Camp's low Thunder, make War's thick united Noise from every Guard.
1694 R. Blome tr. A. Le Grand Entire Body Philos. v. xxii. 174 The case is the same, as when our Ear being stun'd with some great Noise, cannot perceive any low or weak sound.
1724 R. Wodrow Life J. Wodrow (1828) 98 His voice was but low and none of the strongest.
1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho IV. xii. 232 In a low, restrained tone, as if the sound of his own voice frightened him.
1839 F. Marryat Phantom Ship III. xxxviii. 150 A low tap at the door was heard.
1852 I. Pfeiffer Journey Iceland 172 The explosions are always preceded by a low rumbling.
1887 C. Bowen tr. Virgil Æneid iii, in tr. Virgil in Eng. Verse 163 Bending her face to the ground, in a whisper low she replies.
1904 W. H. Hudson Green Mansions iii. 45 That low, whisper-like talking.
1979 R. Jaffe Class Reunion (1980) iii. iii. 322 Emma was..watching television, but she had the sound..low.
2005 S. Rushdie Shalimar the Clown 222 In a low voice, a voice she could barely hear over the whistling wind, he murmured superstitious words.
18.
a. Of a supply of something: almost exhausted; running out. Frequently in to run low at Phrases 6. Cf. sense A. 5.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > insufficiency > [adjective] > limited in quantity or amount > running out
low1583
waning1632
taper1851
1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries iii. 117 b Their victuals went very low.
1615 J. Chamberlain Let. in J. Nichols Progresses James I (1828) III. 27 Though the world be as vain and ambitious as ever, yet money goes low.
1700 G. Booth tr. Diodorus Siculus Hist. Libr. iii. iii. 103 When their Provision grows low, the stronger throw the weaker overboard.
1730 Compl. Coll. State Trials (ed. 2) I. 287/2 The Stock goes low, that would pay Counters for Portagues.
1821 W. Scott Pirate III. iv. 96 My own [money] was waxing low.
1821 W. Scott Pirate III. vii. 151 We have junketed till provisions are low with us.
1895 Writer June 92/1 Poems wanted—advertising jingles. Our supply is getting low.
1904 E. P. Brown Nowhere to Beulahland (ed. 2) i. 19 When the meal in the barrel was low he would look sober.
1953 T. Roscoe U.S. Destroyer Operations in World War II xxiii. 296/2 Johnson made a beeline for the blockade runner; ran into thickening darkness; kept going until his fuel supply went low.
2012 V. Curtis QuickBooks for Dummies (2nd Austral. ed.) v. 129 When petty cash is low, sort out the receipts.
b. Of a person's pockets, purse, etc.: nearly empty; having little money (or another resource) remaining. Later also more generally of a container: having very little of its contents remaining; nearly empty. to be low in pocket and variants: (of a person) to have little money remaining; cf. in pocket at pocket n. and adj. Phrases 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > using up, expending, or consuming > [adjective] > using up completely > used up completely > almost
low1590
1590 R. Greene Mourning Garment 25 This yongsters pursse drewe lowe, but as long as hee let angelles flie, so long they honoured him as a god.
a1612 J. Harington Epigrams (1618) liv. sig. F6v My purse growne low, by ebbe of long expence.
1658 R. Brathwait Age of Apes in Honest Ghost 168 To th'Royal Exchange fain would he take his course If he had any money in his purse, But the Long-shop hath brought his pockets low.
1700 S. L. tr. C. Frick Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 94 I thought it high time..to recruit my Pockets, which were now very low.
1735 D. Garrick Let. 22 May (1963) I. 14 My Mamma being but very Low in ye Purse by reason of her Illness could not afford ym so much Money.
1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued II. iii. 375 Should I chance on some distant journey to be reduced low in pocket.
1846 C. Colton Life & Times H. Clay i. 19 Henry Clay, who, after he was big enough, was seen, whenever the meal-barrel was low, going to and fro on the road between his mother's house and Mrs. Darricott's mill.
1894 H. Caine Manxman 40 And you talk of being low in your pocket.
1929 J. A. Hawes Twenty Years among Twenty Year Olds vi. 61 This system for the students of smallest means or others temporarily low in pocket.
1987 A. Theroux Adultery iii. 36 Farol was a woman who held to certain high tastes but, I thought, hadn't the money to gratify them—there were hints of a low purse.
2011 M. Moncur Daughter of Helaman viii. 70 Mother's hyptis jar was low, so we traveled toward a large green meadow to the south, where we knew we'd find it in plenty.
c. colloquial. low on: short of, deficient in.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > non-possession > [adjective] > devoid of something > lacking or without > ill-provided with something
barec1220
leana1340
needya1425
matterless1483
deficious1541
scarce of?1541
scanta1595
deficienta1616
strait1662
short of1697
shy1895
low on1904
short on1922
light1936
1904 D. Lane Confessions of Criminal xi. 65 I'm low on coin,..but I know where I can get plenty more to-morrow.
1913 E. Ferber Roast Beef Medium i. 24 I've talked until I'm so low on words that I'll probably have to sell featherlooms in sign language to-morrow.
1966 Listener 23 June 926/2 Low on credibility however was They Were So Few.
1974 J. Wainwright Evidence I shall Give xxxv. 200 He brewed instant coffee. He was low on sugar.
2010 Psychologies (U.K. ed.) Apr. 67/1 Women who are low on self-esteem..are drawn to these wild cards.
19. Esp. of a date: relatively late or recent. Cf. earlier low adv. 4.Recorded earliest in the comparative: see lower adj. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > newness or novelty > recency > [adjective] > more recent
junior1621
puny1628
puisne1655
low1897
1653 T. Gataker Vindic. Annot. Jer. 10.2 60 These his Ancients therefore must of necessity be of a lower date, of a later Edition, some old Magitians of some younger times.
1690 Def. Rights & Priviledges Univ. Oxf. 38 The recital and explanation of ancient Priviledges in that Grant, will not reduce them to as low a date, as the Charter it self.
1732 S. Wesley Let. in J. Wesley Jrnl. (1830) I. 390 Easter fell low that year.
1808 Gentleman's Mag. Suppl. 1191/1 It is presumable three Roman Roads entered at Chichester..the third..now easily traced, but which I have reason to think was of a low date to the former.
1897 F. M. Müller in Cosmopolis Sept. 639 If some scholars placed the Veda 5000 or 10,000 B.C., we should find it difficult to refute them... He was surprised when I confessed to him that even the low date of about 1200 B.C., which I had fixed upon, seemed to me too high rather than too low.
1911 Encycl. Brit. XIV. 498/1 Some recent writers say that it is unnecessary to carry the [Indo-European] stock back farther than 2500 b.c.... Wherever the original home was situated, this date is probably fixed too low.
1991 P. James et al. Cent. of Darkness 349 Some support for this low date is given by the radiocarbon dates..on charcoal in Ausonian II contexts, which, when calibrated, point to a date in the 10th century BC.
B. n.2 In many senses, this noun arises as part of an explicit contrast with high n.2
1.
a. A piece of low ground, a hollow; esp. (a) (chiefly Scottish) a low-lying area traversed by a stream, a vale; (b) (chiefly East Anglian) a depression containing water, as a dune slack; (also) a body of water in such a depression.In sense B. 1a(a), frequently in the names of particular areas, as Laich of Dunfermline, Laich of Galloway, etc. Sc. National Dict. (at Laich) records this sense as still in use in north-eastern Scotland, Fife, and Dumfriesshire in 1960.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > [noun]
lowa1200
bottom1342
lowness?a1425
low countryc1450
lowland1488
lowlanda1522
downland1608
bottomland1612
bottom glade1637
lowth1691
underground1842
the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [noun] > other types
weelc897
lowa1200
sougha1300
plungec1450
Sabbatical pool1613
slough1714
tinaja1835
rock pool1836
pokelogan1848
salmon pool1866
plunge pool1870
Strandbad1939
solar pool1960
the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > hollow or depression > [noun] > between sand-dunes
low1929
slack1929
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 211 On þis fuwer laȝes leið ure fo fuwer grunes us mide to henten.
1513–14 in R. K. Hannay Acts Lords of Council Public Affairs (1932) 8 For all the laich of Murray my Lord of Huntlie.
1539 in W. Fraser Bk. Carlaverock (1873) II. 468 Vndoutit bales of our..lands..and of the laychtis liand in the stewartry of Kirkcudbrycht.
?c1615 Chron. Kings of Scotl. (1830) 119 The Regent..rydis throw Anendeill..and the laich of Galloway.
a1627 A. Craig Pilgrime & Heremite (1631) 5 Mee thought in a laigh lay a cleare streame, a strand.
1768 A. Ross Fortunate Shepherdess 42 A burn ran i' the laigh, ayont there lay, As mony feeding o' the tither brae.
1790 Trans. Soc. Arts 8 92 This Low, as it is called [in Essex], traversing the best part of our saltings.
1812 D. Souter Gen. View Agric. Banff App. 72 All the low fields that have been taken in, either from mosses or marches, go under the general name of laighs.
1855 Trans. Philol. Soc. 33 [Norfolk words.] Low, a loch left by the tide on the shore.
1876 Trans. Highland & Agric. Soc. Scotl. 4th Ser. 8 23 We pass through a highly fertile valley, known as the ‘Laich of Dunfermline’.
1878 S. H. Miller & S. B. J. Skertchly Fenland ix. 291 The Tides..run with greater velocity into Lynn Deeps, and set westward through the lows in the sands into Boston Deeps.
1929 Jrnl. Ecol. 17 138 Very characteristic of the Blakeney dunes are the ‘lows’—narrow valleys between the dune-ridges, corresponding to the ‘slacks’ of the west-coast dunes.
1949 Scots Mag. Jan. 241 Farmers from the rich laich o' Moray and the rising lands to the south.
1964 V. J. Chapman Coastal Vegetation vi. 156 After flooding by the tide, water may remain in the low for some time.
2011 Marine Geol. 283 80/2 This irregular landscape creates topographic lows that serve as suitable sediment traps separated by elevated areas of low sediment deposition.
†b. As a mass noun: low country or area. Also figurative. Usually following a preposition (cf. Phrases 1). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > low position > [noun] > a low position or place
low?a1300
?a1300 Body & Soul (Digby 86) l. 70 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 131 Þe þridde dai, flod shal flouen, þat al þis world shal illen. Boþe in loue and in heie [c1250 Trin. Cambr. of dales and of dunes] þe fulþe auei shal spillen.
c1390 Castle of Love (Vernon) (1967) l. 1490 (MED) He þat from heuene com, From louh an heiȝ he vs vpnom.
c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 5720 (MED) He bente neuere affter arblast ne bowe, To schete ouer hilles ne ouer lowe.
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) iii. 707 Sum [ships] wald slyd fra heycht to law.
2. The state or condition of being low; low position; an instance of this. Frequently following a preposition.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > lack of height > [noun]
lowa1225
lownessa1387
squatness1824
stuntinessa1878
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 79 Adam ure forme feder..alihte from hehe in to lahe.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 219 Adam..fel out of hiȝe in to lowh.
1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope xxvi To thende he falleth not from hyhe to lowe.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) lviii. §10. 208 Thou takis me vp fra my laghe in til thi heghe.
c1580 ( tr. Bk. Alexander (1921) II. ii. l. 1586 Ȝonder ar the folk men may nocht fle, That spekis on law and strekis on hie.
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. xxxviii. 75 Musicall harmonie..being but of high and low in sounds a due proportionable disposition.
1691 J. Dunton Voy. round World I. vii. 132 There's a Rise and a Fall—there's two as natural Rambles or Transitions from Low to High, and High to Low agen, as..you'l find agen in all our works.
a1783 H. Brooke Poet. Wks. (1792) I. 389 O, what a Fall! a steep from high to low!
1825 T. Carlyle Life Schiller ii. 120 Those careless felicities, those varyings from high to low.
1987 T. Horton Bay Country (1989) vii. 156 As Joe and I have talked, the tide has run from full to low, shifting a trillion gallons of water.
3.
a. Low people as a class; esp. those who are of low birth, rank, or status. Usually with plural agreement; frequently with the. See also high and low at high n.2 1c.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > [noun] > a low or lower class
lowa1225
vulgar1645
under-sort1655
substratum1830
a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) 162 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 169 (MED) Þer sculen eueningges bon þe riche and þe laȝe.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) 11441 Þer scal þe hehȝe beon æfne þan loȝe [c1300 Otho to þan lowe].
c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 126 Hy [sc. the Virgin Mary] wente vppe [sc. to Heaven]..In body and soule..Þat body þat he [sc. Christ] tok of hys oȝen, Hou mytte hyt ligge a-mang þe loȝen Wyþ-oute honour?
1528 W. Tyndale Obed. Christen Man f. lijv Deutero. xvij. warneth iudges to kepe them vppright and to loke on no mans person, yt is, that they preferre not ye hye before the lowe.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) i. iv. sig. D1 All the people of this countrie from high to lowe, is giuen to those sportes of the witte.
1612 W. S. Funerall Elegye sig. B2 We low leueld in a narrow graue, What can we leaue behind vs but a name?
1665 J. Raunce Certain Things (single sheet) The high, the low, the rich and poor shall bend, At those sad woes which God on them will send.
1729 J. Bramston Art of Politicks 29 The Low are said to take Fanaticks Parts, The High are bloody Papists in their Hearts.
1778 R. Markham Serm. preached in Chapel of Asylum for Female Orphans 12 Possession of the good Things of this Life, the Affluence or want of which..distinguishes high and low, rich and poor, one from another.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin I. xviii. 306 Look at the high and the low, all the world over, and it's the same story.
1890 Spectator 22 Nov. 723/2 Having..the benefit of vast experience of the low.
1922 Gas Age 15 Apr. 468 It goes without saying that in the matter of treatment there should be no distinctions or discriminations between the big and the little, the high and low, and the rich and the poor.
2007 A. Lewis Freedom for Thought that we Hate ix. 151 That was the exact opposite of what was thought to be the lesson of Watergate: that the law applied to the high as to the low.
b. That which is low (in various senses).
ΚΠ
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. cxxxvi. 1391 And by accorde of hyȝ and lowe [L. concordia grauis et acuti], þerof comeþ ful swete notes.
1517 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1928) xxiv. 109 It dooth decerne the god frome badnes The hye the lowe, the foule the fayrnes.
1787 Microcosm No. 30. ⁋7 Uniting the great and sublime of epic grandeur with the little and the low of common life.
1839 R. Keith tr. E. W. Hengstenberg Christol. Old Test. III. 477 The low is made high, and the high low, i.e. all is changed from the lowest to the highest.
1875 R. Browning Aristophanes' Apol. 330 I..Face Low and Wrong and Weak and all the rest.
2004 H. Abbing Why are Artists Poor? (new ed.) 22 Due to social cohesion people share a general notion of high and low in society. Generally these assumptions are seldom disputed.
4. A state of being emotionally depressed, dejected, or lacking in energy; (also) a difficult, dispiriting, or unsuccessful period of one's life. Cf. down n.4 1c.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > [noun]
unlustOE
sorrowfulnessa1250
heavinessc1275
elengenessec1320
dullnessc1369
tristourc1380
murknessc1390
tristesse1390
faintness1398
ungladnessa1400
droopingc1400
heavity14..
dejectionc1450
terne?a1513
disconsolation1515
descence1526
marea1529
sadness?1537
dumpishness1548
unblessedness1549
dolorousness1553
ruefulness?1574
dolefulness1586
heartlessness1591
languishment1591
mopishness1598
soul-sickness1603
contristation1605
damp1606
gloominess1607
sableness1607
uncheerfulnessa1617
disconsolateness1624
cheerlessnessa1631
dejectedness1633
droopingness1635
disanimation1637
lowness1639
desponsion1641
disconsolacy1646
despondency1653
dispiritedness1654
chagrin1656
demission1656
jawfall1660
weightedness1660
depression1665
disconsolancy1665
grumness1675
despondence1676
despond1678
disheartenednessa1680
glumness1727
low1727
gloom1744
low-spiritedness1754
blue devils1756
black dog1776
humdudgeon1785
blue devilism1787
dispiritude1797
wishtnessc1800
downheartedness1801
blue-devilage1816
dispiritment1827
downcastness1827
depressiveness1832
dolorosity1835
lugubriosity1840
disconsolance1847
down1856
heavy-heartedness1860
lugubriousness1879
sullenness1885
low key1886
melancholia1896
burn-out1903
mokus1924
downness1927
mopiness1927
deflation1933
wallow1934
1727 Visct. Bolingbroke Occas. Writer 9 As for ups and downs, highs and lows, I think there is nothing at all in them. We great Folks..are liable to these Vicissitudes.
1858 Househ. Words 25 Dec. 73/2 Heavy-hearted still? Bad, bad to give into those lows.
1938 F. Scott Fitgerald Let. 25 Nov. (1964) 44 By now your impetus will be exhausted and you will have a good three-day low.
1967 S. Fiddle Portraits from Shooting Gallery ii. 28 There are no highs, or almost no highs, and no lows, or almost no lows, except through the direct intervention of the drug.
1987 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 13 June Biggs..talked candidly about his incredible life, the highs, the lows, his family and the memories.
1998 H. Rous in O. Clark Diaries Introd. p. xlvi He seemed to be a manic depressive—his extreme productiveness and creativity would be counterbalanced by extreme lows.
2011 D. B. Van Heemst College viii. 150 A friend is one..who will be there for us through the ups and downs, highs and lows.
5. Cards. In all fours (all fours n. 3) and similar card games: the lowest trump in play during a round, providing a player with one game point; esp. the two of the trump suit. Also: the game point awarded for this.In earlier books referred to as lowest.The low represents one of the four game points available during each round. In the game of all fours the point is awarded to the player to whom the card is dealt.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > [noun] > score or points
groat1680
tout1680
trente1706
game point1773
low1818
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card or cards > [noun] > trump cards
triumph1563
trump1563
ruff1598
five-finger1611
honour1674
high1793
low1818
trumph1819
sancho1875
Dix1908
ruffer1934
1674 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester x. 111 This Game I conceive is called Allfours from Highest, Lowest, Iack, and Game, which is the Set as some play it.]
1818 H. J. Todd Johnson's Dict. Eng. Lang. at All-fours The all-four are high, low, Jack, and the game.
1828 Bell's Life in London 28 Dec. M and P playing at All Fours, M is 8, P. 7; M deals; P plays high, Jack, and game; M plays low.
1887 Standard Hoyle 214 There is this exception to All-fours [in California Jack], that the Low belongs to the person who makes it, or secures it in a trick.
1974 W. B. Gibson Hoyle's Mod. Encycl. Card Games 144 High-low-jack, a once common name for Pitch..and similar games in which high, low, and jack of trumps represent three of the points.
2004 N. Katz Everything Card Games Bk. 120 ‘Low’ awards one point if you held the lowest trump in your hand.
6. In plural. Low notes (in music); low frequencies (of sound). rare before 20th cent.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > [noun] > low pitch > low sound or note
bassa1500
bottom1710
grave1728
lows1845
1845 H. Milton Lady Cecilia Farrencourt II. i. 32 The opening of the door gave Mrs. Major Hopkins new vigour; the louds and the longs, the highs and the lows, the trills, and the shakes, and the crashes, were all repeated with increased power.
1937 U.S. Patent 2,096,758 3/1 Whenever a combination of lows and highs is present in sufficient amount to operate the rectifier, they will also be sufficiently strong to mask the surface or ground noise.
1953 Life 15 June 147/2 The speaker..usually consists of two units—a tiny one called a tweeter, which reproduces the high frequencies, and a larger one (woofer) for the lows.
2002 F. Broughton & B. Brewster How to DJ (Properly) 35 They need to have a ‘wide frequency response’ (from 20-20,000Hz)—the full set of highs and lows.
2011 New Yorker 26 Sept. 22/2 The song has Aretha-like highs and not many lows.
7.
a. Meteorology. An area of low barometric pressure, a depression; a low-pressure system.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > movements and pressure conditions > [noun] > atmospheric pressure > area of low pressure
low pressure1875
low1878
depression1881
1878 Pop. Sci. Monthly July 310 These high and low areas, or ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ as they are technically known, travel.
1915 Science 9 July 64/2 When the Aleutian low is well-developed and south of its normal position, cyclones enter and cross the United States..and are accompanied by stormy weather.
1945 Daily Tel. 7 Aug. 5/6 Pressure is high to W. of British Isles and a ‘low’ over North Sea is moving N.
1987 M. McConnell Challenger viii. 112 The threatened cold front..was stalled in Georgia, blocked by a secondary low.
2003 R. Reynolds Weather Rage ii. 17 Vigorous middle-latitude lows in the winter can quite often produce ‘hurricane-force’ gusts at the surface.
b. Geology. An area of low gravitational field strength.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > force > gravity > [noun] > local departure from normal > specific
residual1895
regional1940
low1954
1954 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 222 374 The regional ‘low’ of about 40 mgal in the Bouguer anomaly values using a density of 2·8 g/cm3 is seen to extend over an area that is 500 km in width.
1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. 166/2 Gravity maps display highs and lows.
2003 Irish Jrnl. Earth Sci. 21 140/2 The extensions of the Killarney and Mayo gravity lows [are defined], interpreted previously as buried Caledonian granites.
8.
a. A low point or level; an overall minimum.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > least quantity or amount > least amount attained or recorded
minimum1823
low1899
1899 Economist (Chicago) 16 Dec. 716/3 The following table..gives the high of December 8 and the low of December 14, when the decline was checked.
1911 N.Y. Times 20 Sept. Calumet and Hecla opened 17 points off at 373, which is 47 points above the established low of 1897.
1928 J. C. Andersen Myths & Legends Polynesians x. 346 A people's development is judged by the highest point reached—it is unjust to hold in contrast the high of the one, the low of the other.
1934 P. G. Wodehouse Thank you, Jeeves xiv. 203 But the heart was still sinking. And when I hear him snort emotionally in the darkness it touched a new low.
1973 Jrnl. Genetic Psychol. 122 186 Scores could range from a high of 64..to a low of 1.
1990 Time 14 May 38/1 Both parties' shameless display of vote buying has reached a new low.
2008 Outlook Profit 27 June 76/2 French consumer confidence also fell to a record low for the fifth consecutive month.
b. The actual or predicted minimum temperature for a certain place and period.
ΚΠ
1918 Paint, Oil & Drug Rev. 21 Aug. 156/2 Calgary, Alberta, showed a low of 35 degrees for the past 24 hours and the forecast is for fair weather and moderate temperatures.
1940 San Antonio (Texas) Express 18 July a1/3 An expected low of 74 degrees will reach a maximum of 92 degrees by midafternoon.
1968 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 17 Feb. 1/6 The predicted high for Elliot Lake today is 5 below; the low tonight 20 below.
1971 Sci. Amer. Sept. 107/2 The interior temperature of the house sometimes reached 80 degrees, and the nightly lows were seldom below 70.
2012 Daily Examiner (Grafton, Austral.) (Nexis) 26 June 7 Yamba residents shivered with an overnight low of 6 degrees Celsius.
9. = low gear n. at Compounds 3. Usually in in (also into) low.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > gear > specific gear
bottom gear?1865
high gear1889
low gear1895
fourth1900
second gear1902
first gear1907
second1907
first1909
second speed1912
high1914
low1914
1914 Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 7 Mar. 75/1 There is no possibility..of stripping gears, when changing from high to low, or back to high.
1968 C. Nicole Self Lovers ii. 30 He descended the hill from his house in low, partly to minimise the potholes..and partly to enjoy the view.
1994 Vancouver Sun (Nexis) 8 Jan. d9 Thinking he had hit a concrete kerb, he put the car in low, shot ahead a foot and came to a shuddering stop.
2007 P. Cioffari Hist. Things Lost or Broken 69 He turned onto Mountain Road, skidding at the base of the hill, shifting into low for traction.

Phrases

(In some phrases difficult to distinguish from low adv.)
†P1. on (also at, of, in) low: down low, below; on the earth; = alow adv.1 1. Cf. sense B. 1b. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > ground > [adverb]
sideOE
on (also at, of, in) lowc1225
agroundc1325
in levela1400
upon shorec1400
at-lowa1500
sidelong1667
à terre1922
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) l. 31 (MED) Meiden stont þurh heh lif i þe tur of ierusalem, Nawt of lah on eorðe ah of hehe in heouene.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 119 Þanne ine ous beginneþ þise graces..ine loȝ [Fr. en bas] and sseweþ an heȝ.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11260 (MED) On hei be ioi, and pes on lagh.
a1500 (c1400) St. Erkenwald (1977) l. 147 Suche a lyche here is Has layn loken here on loghe how longe is unknawen.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiv. 175 And truly, syrs, looke that ye trow That othere lord is none at-lowe.
P2. to lay (something) low. Formerly also †to lay (something) full low.
a. To cause to be humble; to abase.In later use merging with Phrases 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > humility > humiliation > humiliate [verb (transitive)]
anitherOE
fellOE
lowc1175
to lay lowc1225
to set adownc1275
snuba1340
meekc1350
depose1377
aneantizea1382
to bring lowa1387
declinea1400
meekenc1400
to pull downc1425
avalec1430
to-gradea1440
to put downc1440
humble1484
alow1494
deject?1521
depress1526
plucka1529
to cut (rarely to cast down) the comb of?1533
to bring down1535
to bring basec1540
adbass1548
diminish1560
afflict1561
to take down1562
to throw down1567
debase1569
embase1571
diminute1575
to put (also thrust) a person's nose out of jointc1576
exinanite1577
to take (a person) a peg lower1589
to take (a person) down a peg (or two)1589
disbasea1592
to take (a person) down a buttonhole (or two)1592
comb-cut1593
unpuff1598
atterr1605
dismount1608
annihilate1610
crest-fall1611
demit1611
pulla1616
avilea1617
to put a scorn on, upon1633
mortify1639
dimit1658
to put a person's pipe out1720
to let down1747
to set down1753
humiliate1757
to draw (a person's) eyeteeth1789
start1821
squabash1822
to wipe a person's eye1823
to crop the feathers of1827
embarrass1839
to knock (also take, etc.) (a person) off his or her perch1864
to sit upon ——1864
squelch1864
to cut out of all feather1865
to sit on ——1868
to turn down1870
to score off1882
to do (a person) in the eye1891
puncture1908
to put (a person) in (also into) his, her place1908
to cut down to size1927
flatten1932
to slap (a person) down1938
punk1963
c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Royal) 467 Þeo þet heieð ham her leist ham swiðe lahe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 1649 I shal hem laye ful lawe þat sett so litil of myn awe.
1531 G. Joye tr. Prophete Isaye ii. sig. b.4v It..shal thruste downe the proude countenaunce of man, & shal laye ful lowe his highe lokes.
c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme lx. 48 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 67 [God] shall lay our haters low.
1611 Bible (King James) Isa. xiii. 11 I..will lay low the hautinesse of the terrible. View more context for this quotation
1647 J. Trapp Comm. Epist. & Rev. (1 Cor. xiv. 36) Take heed lest God for your arrogancy and high spiritedness lay you low enough.
1769 G. Cockings Arts. Manuf. & Commerce 5 No more our dreaded Naval Warriors ride..To blast Hispania's Pride, and lay it low, And transfix Gaul in total Overthrow.
1840 Tait's Edinb. Mag. July 422/2 On the red field of Leipzic he laid the French pride low—He blew the blast of freedom loud at Leipzic, Oho!
1899 New Outlook 4 Nov. 557 God..Intendeth not for my poor heart's undoing, Nor builds again a joy to lay it low.
2003 J. Harris Holy Fools (2004) iv. 357 That malicious instinct of hers to thwart me at every turn and to lay low my pride.
b. To lay out flat; to bring or knock to the ground; to stretch out prone or lifeless. Frequently in passive (often with by). In later use chiefly poetic.In some quots. relating to people, passing into Phrases 2d.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > horizontal position or condition > place in horizontal position [verb (transitive)] > lay flat (on the ground)
layc950
lairc1200
streek1303
to lay lowc1405
prostrate1483
prostern1490
spald1513
prostitute1583
prosternate1593
lodge1597
flatten1712
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > bring to the ground/lay low > specifically a person or animal
to lay lowc1405
tumble1487
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Manciple's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 118 She shal be clepid his wenche, or his lemman And..Men leyn þt oon as lowe as lyth that oother.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iv. l. 2729 (MED) And somme he laide to þe erthe lowe.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) III. 1219 For I wene this day to ley the as low as thou laydest me.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. c Schir edmond loissit has his life and laid is full lav.
1613 R. Zouche Dove sig. B5 The west of Asia..Hath seene her Cedars reaching to the Skyes, Layd low by his [sc. the Turk's] fierce sacrilegious stroke.
1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 1239 Go baffl'd coward, lest I run upon thee,..And with one buffet lay thy structure low . View more context for this quotation
1740 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 25 Nov. (1966) II. 212 I bought a chaise at Rome..and had the pleasure of being laid low in it the very second day after I set out.
1776 Miss Edwards Miscellanies 74 Quick as the lightening's flash was struck the blow, Which laid the trembling aidless victims low.
1825 J. Hogg Queen Hynde iii. 151 He beat our warriors on the coast,..Threatening their force to overgo, And lay the towers of Selma low.
1898 Argosy Sept. 226 He engaged the three assassins single handed, and held them at bay until a blow from the butt of a pistol laid him low.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. 316 Their mudcabins and their shielings by the roadside were laid low by the batteringram.
1997 S. Rollins Borderlines 17 The wind lays bodies low through mud-clotted grass.
c. To lay in the ground; to bury. Now somewhat archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > burial > bury or entomb [verb (transitive)]
bedelveOE
begraveOE
burya1000
beburyc1000
bifel-ec1000
layc1000
to fall, lull, lay (bring obs.) asleepOE
tombc1275
gravec1300
inter1303
rekec1330
to lap in leadc1340
to lay to rest, abed, to bed1340
lie1387
to louk in clay (lead, etc.)?a1400
to lay lowa1425
earthc1450
sepulture1490
to put awaya1500
tyrea1500
mould1530
to graith in the grave1535
ingrave1535
intumulate1535
sepult1544
intumil?c1550
yird1562
shrinea1566
infera1575
entomb1576
sepelite1577
shroud1577
funeral1578
to load with earth1578
delve1587
to lay up1591
sepulchrize1595
pit-hole1607
infuneral1610
mool1610
inhumate1612
inurna1616
inhume1616
pit1621
tumulate1623
sepulchrea1626
turf1628
underlay1639
urna1657
to lay to sleep, asleep1701
envaulta1745
plant1785
ensepulchre1820
sheugh1839
to put under1879
to lay away1885
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 862 When it es in erth layd lawe, Wormes þan sal it al to-gnaw.
a1500 (?a1425) Antichrist (Peniarth) in R. M. Lumiansky & D. Mills Chester Myst. Cycle (1974) I. App. 496 (MED) Take we the bodye of this swete and ley it loo undre the greet.
1597 R. Tofte Laura xxxv. sig. B7v Farre better had it been I had been dead, And laid full low in latest home, (my graue).
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) ii. i. 164 I would that I were low laid in my graue. View more context for this quotation
1681 J. Shirley Renowned Hist. Guy Earl of Warwick xiv. sig. h3v I fear death has laid him low in some silent Grave, he not having been heard of in these parts for many years.
1777 Westm. Mag. Aug. 440/2 Nature's pride, is dead, Laid low in earth, and all her beauties fled!
1839 M. James Wales 138 With sorrowing heart and tearful eyes, We laid him low, beneath the clod.
1896 A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad xxiv. 35 Use me ere they lay me low Where a man's no use at all.
1997 P. L. Williams True & Authentic Hist. Jenny Dorset (2001) vii. 422 Jenny and I took the boy and laid him low in the grave. She had fetched a blanket from the house to cover him.
d. To destroy, overthrow, kill; to defeat, subdue, suppress; (later, in weakened use) to reduce to weakness or inactivity, esp. as a result of illness, misfortune, etc. Frequently in passive (usually with by, with, etc.).
ΚΠ
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. l. 6873 (MED) Þis riche, strong cite Schal doun be bete and y-layd ful lowe.
1595 S. Daniel First Fowre Bks. Ciuile Warres iv. xxxv. sig. V2 How easie had it beene for thee All the pretendant race t'haue laid full low.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 137 The dire event..Hath..all this mighty Host In horrible destruction laid thus low. View more context for this quotation
1793 R. Burns Poems (ed. 2) II. 192 O! had I met the mortal shaft Which laid my benefactor low!
1808 ‘P. Plymley’ Two More Lett. on Catholics vii. 28 Thou shalt be laid low by a joker of jokes, and he shall talk his pleasant talk against thee, and thou shalt be no more!
1815 W. H. Ireland Scribbleomania 111 Whenever morality hitches the toe, Delinquent with crab-stick shou'd straight be laid low.
1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam xxxix. 61 But thou and I have shaken hands, Till growing winters lay me low . View more context for this quotation
1952 B. Malamud Natural 20 A slambang young pitcher who'd soon be laying them low in the big leagues.
1957 Times Lit. Suppl. 15 Nov. p. ii/3 When the place is snowbound and the staff laid low with flu, the girls take over.
2009 Private Eye 18 Sept. 7/3 Although diners started keeling over in the first week of January, the restaurant carried on business as usual until late February, while hundreds more were laid low.
P3.
a. to lie low. Formerly also †to lie full low.
(a) To lie on or below the ground, or another surface; to lie prostrate or dead, to be buried; to lie down; to crouch, keep low; (of a structure) to be demolished or brought down; to lie in pieces. Also figurative (chiefly in early use): to be humbled, abased, or brought to an abject condition.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > [verb (intransitive)] > be dead
sleepc950
restOE
liea1000
to be deadc1000
to lie lowa1275
layc1300
to be gathered to one's fathersa1382
to be gathered to one's fathers1382
to sup with our Saviour, with Our (the) Lord, with (Jesus) Christa1400
repose1586
slumber1594
to sup in heaven or hell1642
to turn one's toes up to the daisies1842
to be out of the way1881
to push up daisiesa1918
to have had it1942
RIP1962
the mind > emotion > humility > humiliation > be humiliated [verb (intransitive)]
to light lowc1225
to lie lowa1275
to carry (also bear) coalsa1529
to eat the (or one's) leek1600
to lose caste1828
to eat dirt1857
the world > space > relative position > posture > assume or hold a posture [verb (intransitive)] > low down
to lie lowa1275
the world > space > relative position > posture > action or fact of lying down or reclining > lie down or recline [verb (intransitive)] > on or in the ground
to lie full lowa1275
a1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 47 (MED) Þou, wrecche beli, lists nu ful louwe [c1275 Calig. þu schald nu in eorþe liggen ful lohe].
c1300 St. Edward Elder (Laud) 131 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 50 Him þouȝte it was wel vuele i-do þat he lai so lowe þere, Þat he nere i-bured in herre stude.
a1350 (c1307) in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 22 Aȝein þe heþene forte fyhte To wynne þe croiȝ þat lowe lys.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 1649 (MED) I sal do þam lij ful lau þat letes sua lightly on min au.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xx. l. 10 That lucifers lordshup ligge sholde ful lowe.
c1480 (a1400) St. Luke 80 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 248 Þe angel his trumpe sal blav, & ger þame ryse þat lyis law.
1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer ii. f. cccxxxviiv His auter is broke, and lowe lythe.
1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) I. 297 The castell als thai gart it lig full law.
1575 J. Rolland Treat. Court Venus i. f. 2 Behind the Bus (Lord) bot I liggit law.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. i. sig. N4v Beside a bubling fountaine low she lay.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing v. i. 52 If he could right himselfe with quarrelling, Some of vs would lie low . View more context for this quotation
1651 C. Cob Sect every where spoken Against ii. 28 We were made to own, and bow, and lie under our conditions as undone Persons, if Mercy help'd not out: Thus we lay low for a time.
1718 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad IV. xiii. 979 But since yon' Rampart by thy Arms lay low, I scatter'd Slaughter from my fatal Bow.
1765 R. Whytt Observ. Disorders Nerv. Hypochondriac vi. 271 Lying low on her face seemed to give her still greater uneasiness than lying low on her back.
1810 P. B. Shelley Posthumous Fragm. M. Nicholson 7 Monarch thou For whose support this fainting frame lies low.
1879 J. D. Long tr. Virgil Æneid ii. 730 Priam by the sword Lies low.
1918 N. L. McClung Three Times & Out xxi. 201 But she did not see us, as we lay low in the scrub.
1933 R. Jeffers Give your Heart to Hawks xi. 71 Your mother, whom I think you love, is just now Lying low between life and death, and you leave her To chase the wind.
1999 M. P. MacDonald All Souls vii. 156 She crawled fast over to Seamus and Steven, kept them lying low, and dragged them over to a corner of the house where there were no windows.
(b) To be in a low place or position; (of land or its physical features) to lie at a low level; to lie close to or below sea level. Also: to be of little height. Cf. low-lying n. and adj. at Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > low position > be low in position [verb (intransitive)]
to lie low1567
1567 Compend. Bk. Godly Songs (1897) 76 To ly rycht law in till ane Crib.
1674 J. Josselyn Acct. Two Voy. 171 It lyeth low, by reason whereof it is much indammaged by flouds.
c1714 W. Sutherland in J. B. Hattendorf et al. Brit. Naval Documents 1204–1960 (1993) (modernized text) 268 The Edgar..had a hold abaft the mainmast, flat floored that the weight lay low.
1766 W. Stork Acct. E.-Florida 26 The word swamp is peculiar to America; it there signifies a tract of land that is sound and good, but by lying low is covered by water.
1778 W. Pryce Mineralogia Cornubiensis 316 But if the place or Mine lies low, it is usual to say, ‘He is gone to Moor.’
1873 H. H. Jackson Poems 218 Dead lily-bells lie low, and in their place A rounded disk of pearly pink is seen.
1895 W. C. Wilkinson in G. C. Lorimer People's Bible Hist. (1896) xii. 635/1 We must remember that the lake lies low—680 feet below the sea.
1973 A. Ginsberg Coll. Poems (1988) 609 Hillside grass where mushrooms lie low on Cow-Flops in Queensland.
2000 J. Griffiths Grip on Thin Air 12 Fields lying low beneath Dark and sentinel trees, waiting For night to draw in.
(c) colloquial (originally slang). Esp. of a criminal: to keep out of sight so as to avoid detection or attention; to keep a low profile. Also: to bide one's time.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > hide, lie or hidden [verb (intransitive)] > remain in hiding
lurkc1300
to hide one's headc1475
mitch1558
nestle1567
to lie at (on, upon the) lurch1578
to lay low1600
skulk1626
squat1658
to lie by1709
hide1872
to hole up1875
to lie low1880
to lie (also play) doggo1882
to hide out1884
to put the lid on1966
1845 G. Flagg Let. 10 Jan. in Flagg Corr. (1986) 91 To induce the Editors of Papers of both parties to either come out on favor of the new Constitution or if they could not do that to ‘lie low and keep dark’.
1880 J. C. Harris Uncle Remus (1881) ii. 20 De Tar-Baby, she sot dar, she did, en Brer Fox, he lay low.
1892 Pall Mall Gaz. 11 Mar. 3/1 Mr. N——..has not really been dead at all, but only ‘lying low’ in Canada.
1894 Lady M. Verney Verney Mem. III. 475 Royalists who had lain low were showing signs of life.
1901 Scotsman 2 Mar. 9/4 To that end the opposition lay low.
1937 W. M. Raine Bucky follows Cold Trail iii. 24 ‘You lie low until the car gets to town.’ Young Cameron laughed. ‘I'm not on the dodge, Tim.’
1998 I. Rankin Hanging Garden (1999) xxii. 260 He's lying low. I've been trying to talk to him for a week.
b. to lay low: = to lie low at Phrases 3a (esp. Phrases 3a(c)).For a discussion of this use of lay as a substitute for lie, see lay v.1 43a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > hide, lie or hidden [verb (intransitive)] > remain in hiding
lurkc1300
to hide one's headc1475
mitch1558
nestle1567
to lie at (on, upon the) lurch1578
to lay low1600
skulk1626
squat1658
to lie by1709
hide1872
to hole up1875
to lie low1880
to lie (also play) doggo1882
to hide out1884
to put the lid on1966
1600 E. Fairfax tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne xix. xi. 339 Tancred laid low and trauerst in his fight.
a1687 H. More Antidote against Atheism ii. iii. 49 in Coll. Philos. Writings (1712) Whether it might not have laid so low in the Earth as never to have been reached.
1833 Life & Adventures Col. D. Crockett xiii. 154 I determined to obey one of our backwoods sayings, ‘Lay low and keep dark stranger.’
a1861 T. Winthrop John Brent (1883) viii. 70 They may..let their chances slide at cards, but my notion is they're layin' low for bigger hauls.
1894 W. T. Stead If Christ came to Chicago 225 The Democrats laid low and said nothing, for reasons of their own.
1907 M. C. Harris Tents of Wickedness iv. iii. 359 He..laid low for the first passer-by, and slugged him.
1991 P. Marshall Daughters (1992) iii. iv. 296 Just laying low over here in the jungle for a while. Trying to get my strength back after the hurtin' Sandy Lawson and his friends downtown put on me.
2009 ‘R. Keeland’ tr. S. Larsson Girl who kicked Hornets' Nest iv. 62 We decided to lay low when you and Magge were busted—until we knew the lay of the land.
P4. to bring low: to bring to a poor or undesirable condition, with respect to health, wealth, strength, or circumstances; to humble; (also) to bring further down, esp. towards the ground or some other downward limit. Cf. low-brought adj. at Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > humility > humiliation > humiliate [verb (transitive)]
anitherOE
fellOE
lowc1175
to lay lowc1225
to set adownc1275
snuba1340
meekc1350
depose1377
aneantizea1382
to bring lowa1387
declinea1400
meekenc1400
to pull downc1425
avalec1430
to-gradea1440
to put downc1440
humble1484
alow1494
deject?1521
depress1526
plucka1529
to cut (rarely to cast down) the comb of?1533
to bring down1535
to bring basec1540
adbass1548
diminish1560
afflict1561
to take down1562
to throw down1567
debase1569
embase1571
diminute1575
to put (also thrust) a person's nose out of jointc1576
exinanite1577
to take (a person) a peg lower1589
to take (a person) down a peg (or two)1589
disbasea1592
to take (a person) down a buttonhole (or two)1592
comb-cut1593
unpuff1598
atterr1605
dismount1608
annihilate1610
crest-fall1611
demit1611
pulla1616
avilea1617
to put a scorn on, upon1633
mortify1639
dimit1658
to put a person's pipe out1720
to let down1747
to set down1753
humiliate1757
to draw (a person's) eyeteeth1789
start1821
squabash1822
to wipe a person's eye1823
to crop the feathers of1827
embarrass1839
to knock (also take, etc.) (a person) off his or her perch1864
to sit upon ——1864
squelch1864
to cut out of all feather1865
to sit on ——1868
to turn down1870
to score off1882
to do (a person) in the eye1891
puncture1908
to put (a person) in (also into) his, her place1908
to cut down to size1927
flatten1932
to slap (a person) down1938
punk1963
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disrepute > damage to reputation > degrading or debasement > degrade [verb (transitive)]
vile1297
supplanta1382
to bring lowa1387
revilea1393
gradea1400
villain1412
abject?a1439
to-gradea1440
vilifyc1450
villainy1483
disparage1496
degradea1500
deject?1521
disgraduate1528
disgress1528
regrade1534
base1538
diminute1575
lessen1579
to turn down1581
to pitch (a person) over the bar?1593
disesteem1594
degender1596
unnoble1598
disrank1599
reduce1599
couch1602
disthrone1603
displume1606
unplume1621
disnoble1622
disworth?1623
villainize1623
unglory1626
ungraduate1633
disennoble1645
vilicate1646
degraduate1649
bemean1651
deplume1651
lower1653
cheapen1654
dethrone1659
diminish1667
scoundrel1701
sink1706
demean1715
abjectate1731
unglorifya1740
unmagnify1747
undignify1768
to take the shine out of (less frequently from, U.S. off)1819
dishero1838
misdemean1843
downgrade1892
demote1919
objectify1973
the world > health and disease > ill health > cause to be ill [verb (transitive)]
sicka1340
distemperc1380
to bring low1530
distemperate1547
unsound1560
sicken1694
qualm1733
sicklify1851
the world > health and disease > ill health > cause to be ill [verb (transitive)] > make weak
fellOE
wastec1230
faintc1386
endull1395
resolvea1398
afaintc1400
defeat?c1400
dissolvec1400
weakc1400
craze1476
feeblish1477
debilite1483
overfeeble1495
plucka1529
to bring low1530
debilitate1541
acraze1549
decaya1554
infirma1555
weaken1569
effeeble1571
enervate1572
enfeeble1576
slay1578
to pull downa1586
prosternate1593
shake1594
to lay along1598
unsinew1598
languefy1607
enerve1613
pulla1616
dispirit1647
imbecilitate1647
unstring1700
to run down1733
sap1755
reduce1767
prostrate1780
shatter1785
undermine1812
imbecile1829
disinvigorate1844
devitalize1849
wreck1850
atrophy1865
crumple1892
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 277 His sone Occe..was byseged at Ȝork, and [i]-brouȝte lowe [L. humiliato].
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 468/1 For all his great bely, this syckenesse hath brought hym lowe ynoughe.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. ii. 7 The Lorde..bryngeth lowe and exalteth.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1895) II. 2 Quhen he saw the vertues of the Bruse..and how laich [he] was brocht.
1611 Bible (King James) Job xl. 12 Looke on euery one that is proud, and bring him low . View more context for this quotation
1655 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. I. i. 30 His father..brought his estate so low, as to want even necessaries.
1706 J. Oldmixon Iberia Liberata 6 Heav'ns dread Vengeance tho its Pace is slow, Strikes Home and brings the proud Aspirer Low.
1756 tr. J. G. Keyssler Trav. I. 294 The nobles of Savoy..have long since been brought low.
1819 P. B. Shelley Julian & Maddalo 601 Perhaps remorse had brought her low.
1859 Christian Repository June 463 I thought I would bring the soaring eagle low!
1871 B. Taylor tr. J. W. von Goethe Faust (Boston ed.) II. ii. iii. 176 At one quick blow Shoot, and bring low!
1926 Bee (Danville, Va.) 24 Sept. 4/2 (headline) The prognosticants are brought low.
2011 Church Times 25 Nov. 21/2 It is the latter, Bosie, who is the seductress, and Wilde is Herod, brought low by this need to please the boy.
†P5. to go low: to be defeated. Cf. to go down 2 at go v. Phrasal verbs 1. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 23 (MED) Þe kyng herd þat telle, þat his side ȝede lowe.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 100 (MED) To þe bataile he nam; Roberd side ȝede lowe.
P6. to run low.
a. Of a source or supply of something, originally something liquid: to be nearly exhausted or used up; to be much reduced; to become scarce, scanty, or meagre. Of a vessel, a person, etc.: to have little of a supply remaining; to be almost out of something (also with on). Cf. senses A. 5b, A. 18.
ΚΠ
1580 T. Churchyard Pleasaunte Laborinth: Churchyardes Chance f. 32 When that the wine, hath ronne full lowe, Thou shalt be glad, to drinke the lyes.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 747 To drinke wine lustilie, when the vessell is either newly pierced or runneth low.
1609 T. Dekker Guls Horne-bk. sig. E It will bee a reasonable vsefull pawne at all times, when the current of his money falles out to run low.
1658 T. Goodwin Fair Prospect Ded. sig. A3 Her natural strength, and Abilities began to run low, and on Tilt, as it were.
1712 J. Arbuthnot John Bull in his Senses iii. 10 I am afraid our Credit will run low.
1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France I. 22 Recollection tires, and chat runs low.
1859 J. W. De Forest Seacliff 423 He told me that he really believed I was running low, and that he was going to look elsewhere for money.
1891 Chambers's Jrnl. 21 Mar. 189/2 Funds began to run very low.
1932 ‘L. G. Gibbon’ Sunset Song iii. 190 The fire was dying then and the paraffin had run low in the lamp.
1988 L. Ellmann Sweet Desserts (1989) 91 I trudged, Lily complained, my money ran low.
2003 New Statesman 7 Apr. 50/1 Human beings began as nomads, upping sticks whenever they ran low on food or water.
†b. Of dice: to turn up the smallest, or particularly small, numerical values; to turn up a sequence of these. Cf. sense A. 15c. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1593 J. Eliot Ortho-epia Gallica 59/2 See me these dice run low.
1638 Come Worldling (single sheet) Ile pay what you call, with me I beseech you be bold: Dice run low or high, My Gold it shall fly.
1649 Duke of Newcastle Country Captaine iv. i. 58 Cator ace they [sc. the dice] run low sir.
1744 Z. Grey in Butler's Hudibras (new ed.) I. 338 The High Fulhams being Dice which always ran high; and the Low Fulhams those that ran low.

Compounds

C1. In noun phrases used attributively.
a.
low-altitude adj.
ΚΠ
1916 F. W. Lanchester Aircraft in Warfare iv. 36 The advent of the armed and armoured low-altitude machine will initiate a new phase of aeroplane tactics.
1966 Electronics 3 Oct. 181 Dornier System GmbH last year made a successful low-altitude recovery with a paraglider that unfolds its wings for descent.
1999 Sky & Telescope Mar. 23/1 The low-altitude clouds were on Titan's limb on September 4th.
low-angle adj.
ΚΠ
1856 United Service Mag. 1 531 (heading) Practice Table of the ‘low-angle fire’ of the..howitzer.
1966 Electronics 14 Nov. 48 An antenna lacking the low-angle coverage..would not be able to communicate with the satellite unless the plane flew farther south.
2002 Fine Woodworking Apr. 30/1 For tasks requiring a low-angle block plane—such as trimming miters to an accurate fit..—this plane excels.
low-blast adj.
ΚΠ
1828 S. F. Gray Operative Chemist 621 The cakes of this black copper are then smelted in a low blast furnace.
1921 Chem. & Metall. Engin. 20 Apr. 707/2 A low blast furnace is operated as a slagging gas producer.
1981 Ann. Amer. Acad. Polit. & Social Sci. 457 83/2 ‘The neutron bomb’, is in reality a low blast weapon.
2004 Internat. Jrnl. 59 616 Weapon systems for NBC [= nuclear, biological or chemical] neutralisation include the development of..low-blast high-fragmentation weapons.
low-caste adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > other people of low rank or condition > [adjective] > belonging to low Hindu caste
pariah1711
sweeper1837
low-caste1894
Panchama1898
1681 R. Knox Hist. Relation Ceylon iii. ix. 106 This was done by some low-cast begotten Rogue.
1894 Pop. Sci. Monthly Feb. 500 The low-caste Hindus.
2002 S. Perera Do Right Thing 13 She has never been the same since her daughter eloped with that low-caste motorcycle messenger.
low-class adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > socially inferior person > [adjective]
low-bred1599
dunghilled1600
ungenteel1633
underbred1650
half-bred1694
ingenteel1694
ungentlemanlike1719
lowlife1728
under-degreed1748
lower class1812
downstairs1819
low-class1836
wrong1859
(as) common as dirt (also muck)1877
plebbish1928
downscale1930
non-U1954
1836 Monthly Rev. Mar. 299 The dogged, sulky, bribe-demanding scowl, too commonly encountered from our own low-class officials of the Custom-house.
1898 Daily News 11 Nov. 5/1 All such low-class methods.
1999 ‘Sister Souljah’ Coldest Winter Ever ix. 132 You ain't nothing but a low-class hoe Natalie... You don't have no style.
low-consumption adj.
ΚΠ
1905 Electr. Engineer 15 Sept. 374/2 (table) Low-consumption glower and normal ballast.
1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 8 Mar. 61/1 The north-east, a low-consumption area.
2010 Investor's Bus. Daily (Nexis) 4 Jan. a18 A stable, low-consumption economy in which there is a much more equitable distribution of wealth than in the present one.
low-contrast adj.
ΚΠ
1939 U.S. Patent 2,165,407 2/2 One well-known method of introducing color correction in the making of a color printer comprises masking..the color separation negatives with low contrast positives.
1966 D. G. Brandon Mod. Techniques Metallogr. i. 14 The curves for a ‘soft’, low-contrast, fast emulsion and a ‘hard’, high-contrast, slow emulsion are shown.
2000 Jrnl. Field Archaeol. 27 321/2 The imagery is often low-contrast and requires post-processing.
low-dose adj.
ΚΠ
1938 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 30 July 33/2 Substitutional therapy with progestin and low-dose irradiation of the pituitary and ovaries relieved the symptoms.
1989 Guide Clin. Preventive Services (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) lx. 258 Low-dose aspirin therapy should be considered for men aged 40 and over who are at significantly increased risk for myocardial infarction.
2008 Times (Nexis) 27 Mar. (Features section) 8 Modern low-dose ‘walking epidurals’ allow women to remain active while retaining the muscle strength to push out the baby.
low-drag adj.
ΚΠ
1928 U.K. Patent 289,517 1/1 Its under surface lies snug against the upper surface of the main aerofoil, the whole presenting a low drag form.
1962 F. I. Ordway et al. Basic Astronautics xi. 428 An aerodynamic shroud..provides a low-drag housing for the entire vehicle.
2004 New Yorker 5 July 76/1 Every development in modern swimming, from stroke changes to..the low-drag bodysuit, is essentially a refinement in managing the resistance of water.
low-emissivity adj.
ΚΠ
1952 Brit. Patent 674,359 1/1 Application to the surfaces of low emissivity coatings.
1982 Pop. Sci. Apr. 4/2 Low-emissivity wallpaper is probably one of those great ideas that is just not practical.
2011 Victorian July 4/1 (advt) A hardcoat low emissivity glass within the secondary window lowers the U-value, a measure of heat loss.
low-energy adj.
ΚΠ
1902 Univ. Tennessee Rec. May 231 The candle power per watt is slightly better with the low energy lamps.
1942 J. D. Stranathan ‘Particles’ of Mod. Physics xiii. 535 The mean free path may be longer, and the mean life correspondingly longer, for high energy mesotrons than it is for low energy mesotrons.
1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 8 Mar. 149/2 A low-energy ration contained 750 cal per lb.
2007 Independent 16 May 3/5 Hotels..will have been fitted with low-energy light bulbs and recycling containers in each room.
low-fare adj.
ΚΠ
1843 N. Amer. & Daily Advertiser 21 Mar. 2/1 E. H. Derby was at the head of the low fare ticket, and three others..were on the high fare ticket.
1911 T. L. Johnson My Story xxii. 247 The low-fare companies were eager to push ahead and extend their range of operations eastward.
2009 Financial Times 12 Aug. 2/5 Bristol [airport] saw passenger numbers rise from 1.5m to 6m after dropping its objections to low-fare airlines.
low-heel adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > [adjective] > with heel > with specific type of heel
corked1519
high-heeled1618
high heel1677
red-heeled1709
low-heel1712
stilt-heeled1772
court1903
wedge-heeled1939
Cuban-heeled1940
spike-heeled1953
stiletto-heeled1959
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 526. ⁋6 Such as appear discreet by a low-heel shoe.
1998 Indianapolis Star 20 Mar. a7 (advt.) Low heel leather pump with cap toe.
low-impedance adj.
ΚΠ
1895 U.S. Patent 551,060 3/2 The potential of the low-impedance conversation circuit.
1962 J. H. Simpson & R. S. Richards Physical Princ. Junction Transistors ii. 26 The device thus passes most of the emitter current from a low-impedance generator to a high-impedance load.
2002 F. Broughton & B. Brewster How to DJ (Properly) 102 For vocals you should get a low impedance, dynamic, cardioid mic.
low-income adj.
ΚΠ
1885 Deb. House of Commons (Canada) 24 Apr. 1346/2 We have had for years a farmers' sons franchise; we have had a low income franchise; we have had a low property qualification franchise.
1952 M. Laski Village xvi. 219 Roy Wilson may start in a low-income group, but if he can make a success, well, he's worth more than people who can't.
2011 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 14 July 22/2 Low-income families experience growing economic hardship.
low-intensity adj.
ΚΠ
1919 D. A. Lyon & O. C. Ralston Recov. Zinc from Low-grade & Complex Ores 104 Of this calcine 40 per cent was separated on a low-intensity Campbell magnetic separator.
1971 D. E. Westlake I gave at Office (1972) 14 Marijuana was legal in the United States until 1935, and it was just a sort of low-intensity fact in American culture.
2008 Science 25 Jan. 407/3 The consequences of repeated exposures to low-intensity explosions.
low-mileage adj.
ΚΠ
1931 Llano (Texas) News 9 Apr. (advt.) Late model, low-mileage used cars, traded in within the last few weeks.
1944 Billboard 12 Feb. 72/2 The supply of used passenger car tires available for low mileage drivers.
2012 J. Mander Capitalism Papers vii. 111 Find a low-mileage used car that has relatively low fuel consumption, if you need to have a car.
low-noise adj.
ΚΠ
1932 Pop. Mech. May 747/2 The new ‘low-noise’ tube helps record these voltage variations so that analysis of the heart action can be obtained.
1961 Times 5 Apr. 6/4 Special ‘maser’ low-noise amplifiers will be used in the reception of the very weak signals from the satellites.
2000 P. Scherz Pract. Electronics for Inventors xi. 302 Condenser microphones offer crisp, low-noise sound.
low-power adj.
ΚΠ
1853 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. 56 193 Had it [sc. the specimen] been taken by a low-power glass, with considerable penetration, instead of by a high-power glass..it would have been better.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. 673 A lowpower magnifying glass.
1965 BBC Handbk. 47 The BBC is building forty-eight low-power relay stations.
2010 New Scientist 16 Oct. 39/3 By 2030, ultrafast, low-power chips coupled with high-speed optical connections should have given rise to the zettaflop machine.
low-price adj.
ΚΠ
1670 Let. 26 Apr. in W. Carter Eng. Interest by Trade Asserted (1671) sig. A2 A Low-price-sort of Cloath, called Searge de Berry, which comes as cheap as Northern Cloath.
1730 Remarks Eng. Woollen Manufactory Exportation 4 Proper Wool..is absolutely necessary to the producing of neat Goods, as low-price Labour is to cheap Goods.
1851 in D. Hudson Martin Tupper (1949) x. 121 Shepherd's mammoth low price clothing emporium, Chesnut street above Third.
2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 16 Apr. b7/1 Unless you're crossing long distances.., you can go for low-price cables.
low-priority adj.
ΚΠ
1918 Times 15 Nov. 10/4 The Ministry of Munitions have..given low priority certificates sufficient to release wire enough for about 130,000 muzzles.
1992 Men's Health May 35/3 As the day progresses, maintain your time buffer by..eliminating low-priority tasks.
2005 Vanity Fair Feb. 145/2 Only one squad car is assigned to respond to low-priority residential burglary calls for the entire 64-square mile area.
low-probability adj.
ΚΠ
1956 G. Merrill et al. Operations Res., Armament, Launching v. 284 The great destructiveness packaged in the warhead..makes it mandatory that a premature explosion be an extremely low-probability event.
2002 Washington Post 30 Apr. (Home ed.) a17/2 Lefkowitz was often called upon to argue for ‘writs of mandamus’, a low-probability effort to persuade an appellate court to interfere with a lower court even before there was a ruling.
low-quality adj.
ΚΠ
1818 Bells Weekly Messenger 19 July 8/3 11,830 bags [of rice]—Bengal, low quality, 21s. 6d...; middling, 26s. 6d.
1907 Daily Chron. 16 May 6/7 A ‘tub of suds’. the name for a glass of low quality beer.
2009 A. Oliviero & B. Woodward Cabling xiii. 360 Low-quality materials will not be durable and may actually break while you are handling them.
low-range adj.
ΚΠ
1889 Proc. Royal Soc. 46 481 There have been purchased on commission the following instruments:..a low range aneroid for Dr. Löwenherz [etc.].
1930 Pop. Mech. Aug. 304/2 This meter was accompanied by an external resistor for the high-range scale of 250 volts, but none for the low-range scale.
2004 J. Allen Jeep 63/1 Even the 5.38 gearing didn't help, nor the 2.43:1 low-range gearing.
low-rental adj.
ΚΠ
1901 Electricity 27 Nov. 300/2 The National Electric ‘Free’ Wiring Company will go a long way toward inclining the residents in such a district as Hackney—with so many low rental residences—toward changing from gas to electric lighting.
1994 Rep. to Shareholders (Brit. Telecom) Sept. 26 Discounts to high-volume users, and low-rental schemes for those who use the phone little but need it as a lifeline.
low-risk adj.
ΚΠ
1903 Fireproof Apr. 32 That particular district was famed for the fine, useful, ‘low-risk’ buildings in it.
2009 Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) 11 June 13/4 If bonuses are paid for routine, low-risk banking, the bankers are earning money for old rope.
low-skill adj.
ΚΠ
1913 School Board Jrnl. (U.S.) June 50/1 7 per cent enter low skill labor and 3 per cent skilled work.
1967 Ebony Aug. 129/1 It is estimated that automation is removing low skill jobs at the rate of 35,000 per week.
2006 D. Edgerton Shock of Old (2008) vii. 175 In the USA the great meatpackers of Chicago lost markets to new rural, non-unionised, low-skill, single-storey meatpackers.
low-status adj.
ΚΠ
1943 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 8 565/2 His attempt to rationalize a low status occupation into a specialty and consequently into a higher status.
2008 Independent 9 Apr. 26/3 The low-status and usually thankless tasks, such as factory packing, fruit harvesting and looking after the elderly in care homes.
low-tax adj.
ΚΠ
1920 Des Moines (Iowa) News 25 Aug. 6/2 The Wilson company holds 89½ acres of land in the low tax district.
1950 Changing Times Oct. 20/1 The company was prepared to pay its own way wherever it went, and the low-tax bait backfired.
2006 Independent 14 Jan. 2/1 Companies are attracted to doing business in the People's Republic of China because of its low-tax development zones, cut-price abundant workforce, [etc.].
low-tread adj.
ΚΠ
1884 Cent. Mag. Dec. 242/2 Get the whole width of your house frontage for a square hall, and an easy low-tread staircase running up three sides of it.
2012 Times-Union (Albany, N.Y.) (Nexis) 14 July d3 Comfortable workout clothes, low-tread sneakers and a water bottle are recommended.
low-type adj.
ΚΠ
1852 Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper 30 May 8/4 The low type Bushman will be seen searching for locusts.
1897 W. C. Hazlitt Ourselves 122 It is natural that this low-type Realism should be ruled by circumstances.
1999 Irish Times (Nexis) 27 Oct. 9 I think it was cruel and callous and a low-type statement to make.
low-value adj.
ΚΠ
1874 Building News 18 Sept. 355/1 Some importers at Bordeaux..having paid large amounts of unexpected extra duty on low-value goods, sent out orders to stop the freighting of the excluded flag.
1962 A. Battersby Guide to Stock Control viii. 76 At the other end of the scale, spare parts should be in the low-value, long-residence class.
2008 Training Jrnl. July 34/3 The constant stream of low value information that gets pumped out to us every day.
low-wage adj.
ΚΠ
1892 21st Ann. Rep. Local Govt. Board 1891–2 167 A tendency to keep down wages, thus relieving ratepayers who largely employ low wage earners, at the expense of other ratepayers.
1971 Times 19 Mar. 6 There had been a suggestion that steel might be imported from low-wage producers like Japan.
2011 Guardian 29 July (Film & Music section) 13/2 We are quite happy to have our cars parked,..and our children cared for by low-wage workers from other countries.
low-wing adj.
ΚΠ
1925 Brit. Patent 216,115 2/1 Elevations of revolvable wing spars in high-wing and low-wing types of planes.
1942 R.A.F. Jrnl. 16 May 15 This is a conventional two-seater low-wing monoplane.
2011 J. W. Rawles Survivors 222 It was a very small, sleek, low-wing plane.
b. With the sense ‘having, characterized by, or operating with the specified physical property at a low level’.
ΚΠ
1882 D. Dewar New Theory Nature vi. 52. This stream, therefore, circulates round a low volume area but a high pressure one.
1891 Engineering 20 Feb. 214/1 The others are low-current producing stations, with independent installations of engines, boilers, and dynamos.
1916 Power 43 40/2 It is possible, to get satisfactory lubrication at high speeds with low-viscosity materials.
1936 R. S. Glasgow Princ. Radio Engin. ix. 239 Series resonance as a means for obtaining selectivity is effective only when a low resistance source is used.
1954 Life 19 Apr. 16/3 (advt.) It has the advantages of deep-block, low-friction design, free-turning overhead valves and gas-saving Automatic Power Pilot.
1969 E. P. Anderson Home Appliance Servicing (ed. 2) iv. 56 An ohmmeter is simply a low-current DC voltmeter that is provided with a source of voltage.
1987 C. Coe I look Divine (1989) 94 Bare, low-watt bulbs led down to darker basement rooms.
1997 R. Beebe Jupiter (ed. 2) xvii. 231 Another way to address the low-gain data rate is to compress the data.
2008 Vanity Fair May 245 Green buildings often..feature low-flow toilets.
c. With the sense ‘that contains a relatively low amount of the specified substance’. Frequently designating a product containing a reduced level of an unhealthy substance; cf. lo adj. 2.low-alloy, low-cal, low-calorie, low-carb, low-carbohydrate: see Compounds 3.
low-acid adj.
ΚΠ
1896 H. H. Campbell Manuf. & Properties of Struct. Steel xvii. 288 Taking the low-acid steels as one basis of work, a further separation was made according to the tensile strength.
1945 Economist 9 June 770/1 Cull apples are processed for their pectin, which is used in making jellies from low-acid fruits, like strawberries.
2010 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 24 Nov. l1 Those flavours can throw off the balance of a low-acid wine and make it taste sour.
low-alcohol adj.
ΚΠ
1914 San Antonio (Texas) Light 5 May 4/7 Strange to say,..low alcohol beers are not generally opposed by the temperance people.
1975 R. B. Taylor Chavez & Farm Workers xi. 306 ‘Pop wines’—the fruit-flavored, low-alcohol, cheap wines—so popular with young people.
2008 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 9 June 17 On a night out, intersperse alcoholic drinks with water and choose low-alcohol options.
low-cholesterol adj.
ΚΠ
1918 Med. Clinics N. Amer. 2 825 Best known among the forms of dietetic treatment for diseases of the biliary tract is the so-called low cholesterol diet in cholelithiasis.
1979 W. Shurtleff & A. Aoyagi Bk. of Tempeh App. B. 150/1 Many hospitals prescribe tempeh as a key ingredient in diabetic, low-cholesterol, or reducing diets.
2009 Daily Mail (Nexis) 12 Jan. 37 You should discard low-fat, low-cholesterol spreads..: the structure of margarine is not found in nature, so the body has a hard job breaking it down.
low-fat adj.
ΚΠ
1911 Med. Rec. 2 Sept. 502/1 Dr. Holt thought they could hardly call it [sc. dextrin-maltose] a low fat food as it gave 3 per cent. fat.
1960 Times 20 Sept. (Pure Food Suppl.) p. iii None of the low-fat girls had better skins than at the start of the experiment.
2010 Independent 22 Nov. (Viewspaper section) 13/3 I listened to Anna and only ate low-fat proteins at night.
low-protein adj.
ΚΠ
1899 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 21 1042 By planting plots with both high-protein and low-protein corn..results may be obtained which show the influence of selected seed.
1913 London Life 17 May 8/1 Experiments..absolutely prove that far more energy is derived from low-protein diet than from high-protein diet.
2010 G. B. Cockerham & W. C. Cockerham Health & Globalization v. 95 The traditional low-fat, low-protein and high carbohydrate Japanese diet of fish, rice, and green vegetables.
low-salt adj.
ΚΠ
1909 Bull. S. Dakota Agric. Exper. Station Jan. Table III. 477 [Butter]. Old flat flavor. Mottled. Low salt.
1976 W. Shurtleff & A. Aoyagi Bk. Miso vii. 171/1 People wishing to prepare low-salt misos should make either sweet red or sweet white varieties.
2012 Western Mail (Nexis) 4 June 26 Make those essential lifestyle changes today: Eat a heart-healthy, low-fat and low-salt diet.
low-sodium adj.
ΚΠ
1941 Altoona (Pa.) Mirror 19 May 8/4 This low sodium diet used to relieve the symptoms of Meniere's disease.
1992 J. C. Snow You may already be Winner 51 I've got low-sodium soy sauce, oil-free Italian dressing, and lite..ricotta cheese.
2007 N.Y. Mag. 11 June 63/4 Low-calorie biscuits are also low-sodium, to keep off water weight.
low sodium chloride adj.
ΚΠ
1922 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 27 May 82/1 The treatment of arterial hypertension with a low sodium chloride dietary.
2001 W. S. Aronow & W. H. Frishman in R. A. Rosenthal et al. Princ. & Pract. Geriatric Surg. xxx. 438/1 An age-associated increase in the index of aortic stiffening was not found in normotensive persons on a low sodium chloride diet.
low-sulphur adj.
ΚΠ
1880 R. V. Tuson Cooley's Cycl. Pract. Receipts (ed. 6) I. 867/2 The excess of the low sulphur acid dissolves the froth which appears on the surface.
1965 G. J. Williams Econ. Geol. N.Z. xviii. 322/1 The coal is a low-sulphur lignite.
2000 Adv. Driving (Inst. Adv. Motorists) Summer 15/3 Find out if you can buy low sulphur diesel (City diesel).
low-tar adj.
ΚΠ
1958 Billboard 3 Mar. 89/2 It can be just as harmful to smoke a large number of low-tar, low-nicotine cigarettes as it is to smoke a moderate number of high-tar, high-nicotine cigarettes.
1995 C. Sagan Demon-haunted World xii. 218 Aren't the low-tar ads a tacit admission by the tobacco companies that cigarettes indeed cause cancer?
2011 Times (Nexis) 30 Aug. 7 Low-tar cigarettes may seem a healthier choice but..may encourage smokers to take deeper..drags to get the same hit.
C2.
a. Parasynthetic.The examples given consist of some of the more established members of this extensive class.
low-arched adj.
ΚΠ
1771 Ladies' Diary 36 The Effect of the Pressure against low-arched Bridges, in Time of Floods,..is not so great as is commonly imagined.
1821 J. Baillie Lady G. Baillie in Metrical Legends i. 7 By low-arched door.
2010 Observer (Nexis) 7 Feb. (Escape section) 2 Umbria was a delight, as long as I avoided the tight-walled, low-arched medieval town centres.
low-backed adj.
ΚΠ
1568 in P. C. D. Brears Yorks. Probate Inventories 1542–1689 (1972) 31 Item one low backte chare the seat and bakk blacke velvet.
1681 London Gaz. No. 1656/4 A Sorrel Mare, about 13 hands high,..a little low Back'd.
1827 Lady Morgan O'Briens & O'Flahertys IV. 60 A low-backed car is the common vehicle used for the purposes of husbandry.
2002 Sunday Times of India 22 Sept. 7/5 The standard PT Cruiser from Chrysler features..low-backed bucket front seats with driver and passenger inboard armrests.
low-bodied adj.
ΚΠ
1746 W. Lewis Course Pract. Chem. i. x. 127 A low bodied retort, with a very wide and short neck, should be chosen for this purpose.
1882 R. L. Stevenson New Arabian Nights II. 192 Léon looked at her, in her low-bodied maroon dress.
2007 Waikato Times (Hamilton, N.Z.) (Nexis) 18 Oct. (Features) 3 A low-bodied coupe with a space frame made of aluminium and magnesium.
low-boughed adj.
ΚΠ
1707 H. Sloane Voy. Islands II. vi. i. 304 They build their Nests in low bough'd Trees.
2008 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 7 June (Features) 1 A veritable army of bikes and motor scooters waits..under low-boughed tamarind trees.
low-bowed adj.
ΚΠ
1877 W. H. D. Adams Great Shipwrecks xlix. 463 The Captain was a low-bowed vessel.., with her hull not more than four feet out of water.
1898 R. Kipling in Morning Post 5 Nov. 5/3 The low-bowed battleships slugged their bluff noses into the surge.
1992 M. Furtman Canoe Country Camping (2002) 40 You'll likely not even be able to get out onto the water with the straight, low-bowed canoe if the wind is bad enough to be a real factor.
low-ceilinged adj.
ΚΠ
1828 M. B. Smith What is Gentility? xix. 204 There was a thousand times more happiness in the little low ceilinged parlour of the good Leibner.
a1864 N. Hawthorne Septimius Felton (1872) 56 The low-ceilinged eastern room where he studied.
2009 N. Cave Death Bunny Munro (2010) xii. 99 He bounds up the stairs two at a time and continues down a dank, low-ceilinged hall.
† low-conceited adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1648 Bp. J. Hall Select Thoughts 32 Humble and low-conceited of rich indowments.
1788 Remarks Enormous Expence Educ. Univ. Cambr. 10 This Mode of Punishment [sc. exclusion from common meals] is..one of the most futile and low conceited that Popery ever invented.
low-conditioned adj.
ΚΠ
1632 P. Massinger Maid of Honour v. ii. sig. L2v Of..an abject temper,..poore, and low condition'd.
1808 Communications to Board of Agric. VI. vii. 72 Varying so much from that [weight] of the low-conditioned rams in Spain and Saxony.
2011 Irish Independent (Nexis) 29 Nov. Identify cows by calving date, split off low-conditioned cows and preferentially feed these animals.
low-crowned adj.
ΚΠ
?1593 H. Chettle Kind-harts Dreame sig. B2v The third..was an olde fellowe, his beard milkewhite, his head couered with a round lowe crownd rent silke hat.
1888 Jrnl. Asiatic Soc. Bengal 57 259 The superiority of high-crowned over low-crowned teeth is obvious.
1992 B. Unsworth Sacred Hunger iii. 22 The black, low-crowned hat he had seen hanging in the hall, of some country preacher, a hedge parson dressed up for a visit.
low-eaved adj.
ΚΠ
1830 Olio 5 117/2 Its low-eaved cabins also are seamed and pilastered with timber.
1905 Westm. Gaz. 20 May 5/3 Low-eaved houses, cobbled streets, and quiet squares.
2004 J. Spencer-Fleming Out of Deep I Cry (2005) viii. 73 Servants slept in low-eaved fourth-story bedrooms.
low-flighted adj.
ΚΠ
1592 T. Nashe Strange Newes sig. F3 The Portugals and Frenchmens feare will lend your Honors richer ornaments, than his low-flighted affection (fortunes summer folower) can frame them.
1790 Gentleman's Mag. May 452/1 Once more the Muse, low-flighted, trims her wing.
2011 Spokesman-Rev. (Spokane, Washington) (Nexis) 18 July b1 A nifty low-flighted second shot that..rolled on the green about 25-feet from the pin.
† low-fortuned adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
?1623 O. Felltham Resolues lxxxvi. 279 The low-fortun'd Plow-man.
a1750 A. Hill Let. in Wks. (1753) II. 139 I confess myself too proud a lover of those low-fortun'd mistresses, the Muses.
1907 V. O'Sullivan Human Affairs 107 The men of prey, and the low-fortuned nobility and gentry of the country,—in fact all those disorderly and refractory persons who brought dishonour on the King's arms.
low-heeled adj.
ΚΠ
1675 F. Fane Love in Dark i. i. 5 Sejanus lost himself with a pair of low heel'd Shooes.
1687 London Gaz. No. 2295/4 A Roan Gelding.., about 14 hands, all his paces, low-heel'd before.
1869 Every Sat. 27 Nov. 683/2 There is a very fashionable young lady who wears a high-heeled boot on one foot and a low-heeled boot on the other.
2007 Philadelphia May 97/1 She is impossibly petite, clad in a pale blue top, slim-fitting gray cigarette pants, and low-heeled brown suede shoes.
low-levelled adj.
ΚΠ
1650 Man in Moon No. 51. 387 Then cheer up dejected Cavaliere, oppressed Presbyter, and low-levell'd Leveller; He that sits on a dunghill to day, may to morrow sit on a Throne.
1863 R. H. Dana Let. 9 Mar. in C. F. Adams R. H. Dana (1890) II. v. 264 He [sc. Lincoln] has a kind of shrewdness and common sense, mother wit, and slipshod, low-levelled honesty, that made him a good Western jury lawyer.
2008 J. Stern in G. Kucsko-Stadlmayer European Ombudsman-institutions ii. 408 Only in a few areas can decisions be appealed to superior authorities and to the Government. This is in accordance with a low-levelled responsibility of ministers.
low-masted adj.
ΚΠ
1647 J. Brinsley Stand Still 28 She [sc. a ship] must be well-built, downe-ballasted, low-masted, sure-anchored.
2003 D. Simmons Ilium (2005) 291 The river was busy with barges, wherries, and low-masted river-craft.
low-panelled adj.
ΚΠ
1854 Eliza Cook's Jrnl. 8 July 164/1 A long low panelled gallery, lighted at the end by a broad window of richly-stained glass.
1902 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. May 653/2 Entering under a low-panelled door, we found ourselves in a long and wide bar.
2008 Observer (Nexis) 29 July (Review section) 3 I pushed through a warren of low-panelled rooms in search of the smoking terrace.
low-powered adj.
ΚΠ
1828 A. Pritchard Optical Instruments ii. xiv. 45/2 The most advantageous combination of convex lenses for low-powered object-glasses, is that contrived by Dr. Goring.
1903 Daily Chron. 3 Aug. 3/7 A motor-car, however low-powered or slow it may be.
2000 T. Clancy Bear & Dragon xxxv. 522 For most modern missiles, the fusing system is a small, low-powered laser.
low-priced adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > low price or rate > [adjective] > cheap
light?a1400
vile?1490
cheap1517
low-prized1600
druggish1701
popular1830
low-priced1842
underpriced1861
bargain basement1899
low-budget1918
Woolworth1931
Woolworthian1933
pipe-rack1956
budget1958
cheapo1967
pound shop1989
1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. xxvii. ii. 308 Some provinciall bishops..whose low priced apparrell also, and eyes looking downe to the ground, commend them as pure and modest persons.
1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 201 He..falling into some low priz'd Rogueries afterwards..was..Transported.
1842 J. Bischoff Comprehensive Hist. Woollen Manuf. II. 199 The German cloths are not so well manufactured as ours, particularly the low-priced cloth.
2005 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 1 Dec. 32/4 [They] are paid 40 cents an hour to manufacture low-priced goods for the customers of Wal-Mart.
low-purposed adj.
ΚΠ
1729 R. Savage Wanderer v. 298 The low-purpos'd, loud, polemic Fray.
1877 Atlantic Monthly Aug. 149/2 You can end by really being as sordid-minded and hopeless and low-purposed as you pretend to be.
2009 R. Alcorn If God is Good 273 It is not inconsistent or unjust of him to utilize their low-purposed, finite evil for his high-purposed, infinite good.
low-ranked adj.
ΚΠ
1759 J. Berkenhout tr. C. G. Tessin Lett. to Young Prince I. 26 I will not mention virtue and a good conscience: we lower-ranked mortals should be ill-off, if these were the special rights of majesty.]
a1793 J. Scott Jrnl. (1831) I. iv. 91 Why is a poor, low-ranked person's plain and simple name good enough for him or her to be called by, while the rich and great have an addition to theirs?
1872 Good Words 13 233/1 Club-mosses, tree-ferns, pines, and other low-ranked vegetation of the coal.
2002 Edmonton (Alberta) Jrnl. (Nexis) 13 May b3 Parents of academically inclined students will pull their kids from low-ranked schools.
low-rented adj.
ΚΠ
?1749 Memorial Edinb. Charity Work-house (Edinb. Town Council) 29 The Extent of the low rented Houses.
1802 Trans. Soc. Arts 20 348 To live in low-rented houses.
1992 I. Mohan Environmental Issues xxii. 101 Sixty percent of the families here..live in low rented tenements or in their own ancestral dwellings.
low-rimmed adj.
ΚΠ
1860 J. A. Webster Blanche Lisle 117 The children playing by the low-rimmed wall, My little Paul and baby Beatrice, Throwing small pebbles in the fringing sea.
2011 M. C. Miller & R. Quintana Salsas of World 91 Place honey in a low-rimmed container. Then place it in a stovetop smoker, using apple wood chips for smoke flavor.
low-roofed adj.
ΚΠ
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 360 The low-rooft broken walls (In steed of Arras) hang with Spiders caules.
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd iv. 270 Philosophy..From Heaven descended to the low-rooft house Of Socrates. View more context for this quotation
1890 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon The semirecumbent position in which a miner works in low-roofed tunnels.
2004 A. Hollinghurst Line of Beauty xi. 298 Steps led down on the left through the shade of a sprawling fig tree towards a low-roofed further structure.
low-sided adj.
ΚΠ
1659 J. Howell Particular Vocab. §vi. sig. Nnnnnnv, in Lex. Tetraglotton (1660) A low sided shipp, nave di basso bordo.
1874 J. W. Long Amer. Wild-fowl Shooting 78 A small, low-sided boat..might be..dangerous on large waters.
2000 R. Sterling World Food: Spain 114 The cazuela, a low-sided earthenware dish that can be used on the stove or in the oven.
low-skilled adj.
ΚΠ
1864 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 296 The numberless objects of every-day life made by the aid of machinery or of low-skilled labour.
1915 S. Nearing Income vii. 183 The low-skilled worker may not change his lot by rising or by striking out for himself.
2003 Financial Times 3 Apr. 6/2 Fears that many people who find work through programmes are trapped in insecure and low-skilled jobs.
low-statured adj.
ΚΠ
1631 R. Johnson Tom a Lincolne (ed. 6) ii. iv. sig. K2 A very low statured Dwarffe.
1774 J. Conolly tr. J. Addison in J. Conolly Poems 105 Their contempt of the low-statur'd race.
1989 L. Lochhead Mary Queen of Scots 12 And the people were low-statured and ignorant and feart o' their lords and poor!
† low-thoughted adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1637 J. Milton Comus 1 With low-thoughted care Confin'd.
1766 J. Langhorne Fatal Prophecy i. ii. in Poet. Wks. II. 7 Low-thoughted traitors!
1922 F. Grendon Love Chase vi. 79 It was one of those rare friendships that are quite beyond the perception of vulgar-minded, low-thoughted souls.
low-toned adj.
ΚΠ
a1785 R. Glover Athenaid (1787) III. xxiii. 76 The low-ton'd current of Asopus held No other motion than his native flow.
1871 G. Meredith Harry Richmond III. x. 151 Your dear mother had a low-toned nervous system.
1909 R. Fry Let. 15 Jan. (1972) I. 310 The Fur Jacket..is..exceedingly low-toned.
1969 Word 25 155 Possessive prefixes are usually low-toned.
2009 New Yorker 5 Jan. 74/3 David Bamber..delivers not a rant but a low-toned portrait of a paranoic.
low-vaulted adj.
ΚΠ
1628 World Encompassed by Sir F. Drake 70 The house is but low vaulted, round and close.
1788 J. H. de Magellan Cronstedt's Ess. Syst. Mineral. (new ed.) II. iv. §332. 700 Blocks, or bars of copper, are reduced into flat sheets.., by being first heated..in a low-vaulted furnace.
1869 J. R. Lowell Foot-path in Under Willows 225 Those angel stairways in my brain, That climb from these low-vaulted days To spacious sunshines far from pain.
2011 Scotsman (Nexis) 9 Apr. 34 The cosy bar, with its low-vaulted ceiling, is the ideal spot to curl up and sample the vast range of whiskies kept behind the counter.
low-waisted adj.
ΚΠ
1829 tr. Aeschylus Seven against Thebes in Seven Trag. (new ed.) 97 I am assured beyond all doubt that they will send forth a fitting wail from their lovely low-waisted bosoms.
1923 A. Huxley Antic Hay ix. 124 Low-waisted summer frocks.
2007 Independent 30 Jan. (Extra section) 6/2 A bulging midriff exposed between a woman's tight, low-waisted jeans and a short top.
low-wheeled adj.
ΚΠ
1753 Philos. Trans. 1751–2 (Royal Soc.) 47 193 It [sc. a coffin] was drawn to the church on a low-wheel'd carriage.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Talking Oak xxviii, in Poems (new ed.) II. 71 Sitting straight Within the low-wheel'd chaise.
2007 Vancouver Sun (Nexis) 15 June e1 He continued with the service garage, stooping over engines and scooting under cars on a low wheeled ‘creeper’ until the age of 70.
b. Complementary adjectives, with past participles.
low-built adj.
ΚΠ
a1556 R. Chancellor in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1598) I. 238 It is very lowe built in eight square, much like the olde building of England, with small windowes, and so in other poynts.
1691 London Gaz. No. 2625/4 Also a low-built Watch with a String, the Box Gilt.
1843 G. P. R. James Forest Days I. vii. 140 It was, in fact, a large, though low-built house.
1998 Textile Horizons June 10/2 A sturdy, low-built frame has cut down vibration to virtually zero.
low-laid adj. chiefly poetic
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > dead person or the dead > [adjective]
deadOE
lifelessOE
of lifeOE
storvena1225
dead as a door-nail1362
ydead1387
stark deadc1390
colda1400
bypast1425
perishedc1440
morta1450
obita1450
unquickc1449
gone?a1475
dead and gone1482
extinct1483
departed1503
bygonea1522
amort1546
soulless1553
breathless1562
parted1562
mortified1592
low-laid1598
disanimate1601
carcasseda1603
defunct1603
no morea1616
with God1617
death-stricken1618
death-strucken1622
expired1631
past itc1635
incinerated1657
stock-dead1662
dead as a herring1664
death-struck1688
as dead as a nit1789
(as) dead as mutton1792
low1808
laid in the locker1815
strae-dead1820
disanimated1833
ghosted1834
under the daisies1842
irresuscitable1843
under the sod1847
toes up1851
dead and buried1863
devitalized1866
translated1869
dead and done (for, with)1886
daid1890
bung1893
(as) dead as the (or a) dodo1904
six feet under1942
brown bread1969
the world > space > relative position > horizontal position or condition > [adjective] > placed in a horizontal position > laid flat
low-laid1598
flatted1681
1598 H. Petowe 2nd Pt. Hero & Leander sig. Biv Downe to the low layde bowells of the earth.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) v. v. 197 Be content, Your low-laide Sonne, our Godhead will vplift. View more context for this quotation
1912 F. E. Nicholson Crow's Nest 51 I wept at the heart's heart-core, O'erflowed as a low-laid shore When the full flood tide comes in.
2006 B. James Listening at Gate xiii. 191 I looked past his shoulder at what I had thought a cloud among the thousand clouds, low-laid and dark.
† low-made adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) viii. f. 106v And ducking downe their heads, within the low made Wicket came.
1898 Florida Agriculturist 20 July 356/3 A low-made land is better than a natural swamp. This land should be plowed or broken in the fall to a depth of ten inches.
1928 W. C. Miller Black's Vet. Cycl. 491/2 Where there are many low-made fences on top of a bank,..penetrating injuries from stakes are not uncommon.
c. Phonetics. In adjectives with the sense ‘designating a vowel sound that is both low and ——, or the position of the tongue in articulating such a sound’. Cf. sense A. 6.
low-back adj.
ΚΠ
1867 A. M. Bell Visible Speech: Sci. Universal Alphabetics 40 For ‘Back’ Vowels, the back of the tongue forms a narrow aperture with the soft palate, or (for the ‘low-back’) with the pharynx.
1901 Trans. Yorks. Dial. Soc. 1 19 In these and similar words the r must invariably be preceded by a low-back vowel.
1965 Language 41 346 A low-back /ə/.
1994 S. Chalker & E. Weiner Oxf. Dict. Eng. Gram. 231 The sound../ɑː/ as in hard and heart is a low back vowel.
low-central adj.
ΚΠ
1928 Mod. Philol. 25 386 The vowel in cut..has been lowered to low-central position in Southern English, but is still pronounced with considerable elevation of the back of the tongue in America.
1962 Amer. Speech 37 165 The low-central free vowel /ɑ/.
1970 Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. 1968 13 Sometimes..it occurs as a retracted low-front or as a low-central monophthong.
low front adv.
ΚΠ
1867 A. M. Bell Visible Speech: Sci. Universal Alphabetics 75 The ‘outer’ consonant corresponding to the ‘High-Front’ vowel, and the ‘inner’ to the ‘Low-Front’ vowel.
1962 Amer. Speech 37 169 This diphthong may be described as beginning at a somewhat retracted low-front position and terminating at an open, slightly rounded, high-central position.
2004 J. Blevins & A. Garrett in B. Hayes et al. Phonetically Based Phonol. v. 123 Other features..also show drawn-out domains, such as the jaw movement required for low front vowels.
low-mid adj.
ΚΠ
1892 Englische Studien 16 109 ǣ in un, before a low-mid-narrow, but now a low-front-narrow-round.
1905 E. L. Thorndike Measurem. of Twins iii. 78 Will it be asserted that the reaction times to A would follow a bimodal distribution according to its interpretation as a low mid-vowel or as the indefinite article?
1965 Language 41 346 In disyllabic words, Ngbaka shows only four sequences: high-mid, mid-high, mid-low, and low-mid.
2011 A. Calabrese in M. van Oostendorp et al. Blackwell Compan. Phonology V. cx. 2647 A system in which the low mid vowels pattern with the low vowel with respect to vowel height.
C3.
low-alloy adj. Metallurgy (of steel or iron) containing only a small proportion of carbon or other alloying elements.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > alloy > [adjective] > with small proportion of alloying metals
low-alloy1920
1920 Trans. Soc. Automotive Engineers 14 199 It is better to use low-alloy steels that can be reasonably well made in the basic open hearth.
1956 W. D. Hargreaves in D. L. Linton Sheffield 287 Rotherham produces about a million tons per year of carbon and low alloy steel.
1969 Surv. Iron Castings (Council Ironfoundry Assoc.) 17/1 Special irons and their properties are discussed separately under the following headings:—(a) Low-alloy grey cast irons. (b) High-strength grey cast irons. [Etc.]
2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 15 Sept. d3/1 They have been developing higher-strength products for decades, beginning with high-strength low-alloy..steels.
low bailiff n. (frequently with capital initials) (the title of) an officer of the municipal government of, or a local court in, some English boroughs, towns, etc.; spec. one of the officers of a court leet.Now historical or in the title of an officer of some of the small number of remaining courts leet, as Alcester and Henley-in-Arden (both in Warwickshire).
ΚΠ
1691 in C. Bailey Transcripts Munic. Arch. Winchester (1856) 175 The said David Wavell shall be discharged and excused from serving the Offices of Low Bailiffe, High Bailiffe, High Constable, and Chamberleine.
1771 J. Freeth Polit. Songster (ed. 2) 24 [The constables of Birmingham] meet and carouse on a glorious Repast, and boast of their Feats at a Low Bailiff's Feast.
1835 1st Rep. Commissioners Munic. Corporations Eng. & Wales App. iii. 1601 in Parl. Papers (H.C. 116) XXIV. 1 The Bailiff of the Commons, sometimes called the Low Bailiff, is elected at an annual meeting of the free burgesses from among the commons.
1985 Past & Present No. 109 16 [The borough officials] normally consisted of a high and a low bailiff..; one or more ale-tasters; and one or more constables.
2010 Solihull News (Nexis) 3 Dec. 54 (caption) The Curry Republic is officially opened by Henley-in-Arden High Bailiff John Rutherford (far right), with (left to right) Low Bailiff John Tristram, Town Crier Gordon Trinder, [etc.].
low beam n. chiefly North American and Australian the setting at which a vehicle's headlights are dipped; a beam from a headlight on this setting; cf. high beam n. at high adj. and n.2 Compounds 4.
ΚΠ
1925 Financial Times 15 Oct. 9/3 For driving in fog the advantage of a low beam through which the driver has not to look is considerable.]
1933 N.Y. Times 8 Jan. x. 11/6 A new type of multi-beam headlight, controlled by a three-way lever on the steering wheel..in addition to the usual high and low beams.
1986 Sunday Mail (Queensland) (Nexis) 27 Apr. Lights on high beam light up the roadway about 100 metres ahead in good conditions; on low beam this distance is lessened.
2012 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 4 Oct. d12 On country roads, switch on your low-beams when you come to a curve or the top of a hill so that you can see oncoming headlights.
low-blooded adj. usu. derogatory of low birth or lineage, lower-class; (hence) barbarous, uncivilized; cf. low-born adj.
ΚΠ
1824 G. Soane Pride shall have Fall iii. 52 When I shut out that captain, that buff-belt, That low-blooded strappado, that half-pay, The world must go to wreck.
1839 Times 19 Mar. It failed, as low-blooded knavery always does.
1892 E. Reeves Homeward Bound 28 The passing of weak, low-blooded paupers by careless selectors.
2002 Austin (Texas) Amer.-Statesman (Nexis) 3 Mar. a1 I'm angry because they are so low-blooded and low-mannered as to use the power of their newspaper to try to destroy me.
low blow n. a punch below the belt in boxing, in contravention of the rules; (figurative) a cruel or unfair criticism or attack.
ΚΠ
1897 Boston Daily Globe 18 Mar. 19/3 I said that it was a clean fight... My friends have referred, however, to a low blow with which Fitzsimmons caught me early in the fight.
1958 S. Plath Jrnl. 16 Dec. (2000) 441 The minute you dare to be happy fate smacks you a low blow.
1990 Sports Illustr. 7 May 25/3 The low blow cost Hearns some breath and Olajide a point.
2008 P. McKellan Claiming their Mate vii. 64 ‘I never thought you'd sink to their level.’ It was a low blow and a nasty thing to say but it worked.
low boat n. North American (the fact of having) the boat whose occupants catch the lowest amount of fish, game, etc.; (more generally) any losing boat.
ΚΠ
1874 Forest & Stream 1 Jan. 325/1 It is best to have enough [ammunition], and not run short, as I did on one occasion, contenting myself with ‘low boat’ while my companions were knocking the birds right and left around me.
1951 Newport (Rhode Island) Daily News 5 June 9/5 A consolation prize went to Robin Monk, skipper of the Co-Chise, low boat in the series.
1987 H. Assu & J. Inglis Assu of Cape Mudge v. 59 I was never low boat, always better than average catch each year.
† low-brought adj. Obsolete brought to a low or unfortunate condition (see Phrases 4); reduced to a state of distress or weakness.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > [adjective] > in state of ill health or diseased > weak
unmightyeOE
unferea1060
unwieldc1220
fade1303
lewc1325
weak1340
fainta1375
sicklyc1374
unwieldyc1386
impotent1390
delicatea1398
lowa1398
unmighta1450
unlustyc1450
low-brought1459
wearyc1480
failed1490
worn1508
caduke?1518
fainty1530
weak1535
debile1536
fluey1545
tewly?1547
faltering1549
puling1549
imbecilec1550
debilitate1552
flash1562
unable1577
unhealthful1595
unabled1597
whindling1601
infirm1608
debilitated1611
bedrid1629
washya1631
silly1636
fluea1645
tender1645
invaletudinary1661
languishant1674
valetudinaire?c1682
puly1688
thriftless1693
unheartya1699
wishy-washy1703
enervate1706
valetudinarian1713
lask1727
wersh1755
palliea1774
wankle1781
asthenic1789
atonic1792
squeal1794
adynamic1803
worn-down1814
totterish1817
asthenical1819
prostrate1820
used up1823
wankya1825
creaky1834
groggy1834
puny1838
imbeciled1840
rickety-rackety1840
muscleless1841
weedy1849
tottery1861
crocky1880
wimbly-wambly1881
ramshackle1889
twitterly1896
twittery1907
wonky1919
strung out1959
the mind > emotion > humility > humiliation > [adjective]
dejectc1528
broken1535
abased1554
come1564
downfallen1575
snubbed1583
crestfallen1589
humiliate1593
plume-plucked1597
low-broughta1599
chop-fallen1604
chap-fallen1608
dejected1608
humbleda1616
unprided1628
diminished1667
mortified1710
small1771
humiliated1782
squelched1837
grovelleda1845
sat-upon1873
comedown1886
deflated1894
zapped1962
society > authority > subjection > [adjective] > suppressed
to-bentc1401
suppressed1536
trodden1545
quailed1567
overtroddena1586
underfoot1594
undertrodden1594
downtrodden1597
downtrod1598
low-broughta1599
silenced1609
overborne1611
crusheda1616
trod1638
run-down1683
trampleda1764
overtrampled1827
sat-upon1873
1459 J. Brackley in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 186 He..is ryte lowe browt and sore weykid and feblyd.
a1599 E. Spenser View State Ireland 10 in J. Ware Two Hist. Ireland (1633) How comes it then to passe, that having beene once so low brought, and thoroughly subjected, they afterwards lifted up themselves so strongly againe.
1715 J. Chappelow Right Way to be Rich 17 If Comfortless, he is a Pearl to comfort us, to be a Cordial to us, to restore our Fainting Spirits, tho' never so low brought.
low-burning adj. that burns with a low flame; slow burning (literal and figurative).
ΚΠ
1786 D. Humphreys in Boston Mag. Aug. 348 While life's low burning lamp renews its light.
1831 Christian Examiner, & Church of Ireland Mag. Jan. 23 Gazing into the low-burning fire.
1974 E. Hardwick Seduction & Betrayal 131 Miss Kilman..is hanging on..to a low-burning encounter with religion.
2004 Field & Stream June 32/2 Place the package on a grill.., or directly on the low-burning coals of a campfire.
low-cal adj. colloquial (originally U.S.) short for low-calorie adj.; also figurative.
ΚΠ
1963 Washington Post 27 Aug. a20/1 I can testify that all he had to drink..was straight bubble up (low-cal, of course).
1995 Inside Fort Collins (Colorado) 2 Feb. 2/3 I hunger for serious slabs of news slathered with details rather than the low-cal happy talk swill they serve up.
2001 M. Hughes et al. World Food: India 185 A tasty low-cal munchy mixture of flattened rice, peanuts [etc.].
low-calorie adj. (of food, a diet, etc.) that is low in calories; (also figurative) lacking in substance or depth.
ΚΠ
1919 Amer. Jrnl. Med. Sci. 157 131 The nitrogen deficit increased about 1 gm. daily above the increase which accompanied the low calorie diet.
1969 Lancet 8 Dec. 1190/2 On low-calorie high-fat diets, fat and thin subjects developed the same levels of ketones in the blood.
2006 Vanity Fair Apr. 136/3 A Stepford Wife..programmed to smile..and talk entirely in low-calorie sound bites.
2011 Maya News 16 Feb. 25/5 The Spa Cuisine features delicious and detoxifying, low calorie dishes such as Celery and Carrot Salad.
low-carb adj. colloquial (originally U.S.) short for low-carbohydrate adj.
ΚΠ
1973 Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner 7 Apr. a19/1 (heading) Low carb. cheese cake.
1974 N.Y. Mag. 25 Nov. 82/2 Eat only your low-carb fruits and vegies.
1999 S. Ilg Winter Athlete viii. 99/1 I have seen low-carb diets cause uncontrollable food cravings, which then lead to inappropriate food choices.
2006 Daily Star (Nexis) 27 Sept. 32 Try switching to a low-carb beer instead of your usual lager.
low-carbohydrate adj. (of food, a diet, etc.) that is low in carbohydrates.
ΚΠ
1911 Amer. Jrnl. Physiol. 27 396 The results..are brought together..to show which days were preceded by a high carbohydrate diet and which by a low carbohydrate diet.
1985 J. E. Brody Jane Brody's Good Food Bk. iii. 19 Pretty soon,..low-carbohydrate dieters are crumbling at the sight of a cookie or piece of bread.
2005 Independent 6 Jan. 36/4 The growing obsession with low-carbohydrate diets such as Atkins.
low-carbon adj. (originally) designating steel containing a relatively low amount of carbon; (now also) relating to or characterized by the minimizing of emissions of carbon dioxide into the biosphere.
ΚΠ
1884 U.S. Patent 308,777 2/2 The clamps and sleeves forming part of my improved coupling are made of wrought-iron or low-carbon steel.
1900 Engin. Mag. 19 751/2 Copper and low-carbon ingot steel.
1984 Ambio 13 200/2 (table) Increase role of low-carbon fuels.
2001 R. W. Cahn Coming of Materials Sci. iv. 161 (caption) Wrought low-carbon mild steel, annealed and impressed by a Brinell ball.
2004 Guardian 20 Nov. (Jobs & Money section) 6/4 Solar panels and heating systems that can generate renewable, low-carbon heat and power at home.
2010 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 24 June 36/4 We have already embarked on..the transition to low-carbon growth.
low-ceiled adj. that has a low ceiling; = low-ceilinged adj. at Compounds 2a.
ΚΠ
1767 Conflict III. vii. 11 It [sc. a house] was but low-ceiled, but very commodious.
1904 W. de la Mare Henry Brocken 106 The room in which we sat was low-ceiled and cheerful.
2006 A. Emery Greater Medieval Houses of Eng. & Wales II. 122 The ground floor of the cross wing is an imposing one, particularly as it is now approached through a forced doorway from the preceding low-ceiled rooms.
low celebration n. Christian Church (frequently with capital initials) the administration of the Eucharist with the assistance of only one server, and without music or incense; an instance of this; cf. Low Mass n.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > sacrament > communion > mass > kinds of mass > [noun] > low
swimessec1000
Low Mass1531
low celebration1858
1858 J. Purchas Directorium Anglicanum 171 The Subdeacon may carry a second chalice if necessary, but this will hardly..be the case at the midday Solemn Celebration, as the faithful should as a rule communicate at the early Low Celebration that they may do so fasting.
1867 C. Walker Ritual Reason Why 79 Low celebration is the administration of the Holy Communion without the adjuncts of assistant ministers and choir.
1920 C. W. Leadbeater Sci. of Sacraments ii. 119 This prayer is said as above at a Low Celebration or Missa Cantata only. At a High Celebration the first part is repeated by the deacon.
1973 Havre (Montana) Daily News 13 Dec. 13/5 Sunday, December 16 will be a day of heightened activity for the parish beginning at 8:00 a.m. with a low celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
† low-cheered adj. Obsolete having a meek countenance; mild-faced.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > meekness or mildness > [adjective] > in appearance
low-cheeredc1400
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > types of face > [adjective]
flatc1400
hardc1400
low-cheeredc1400
large?a1425
ruscledc1440
well-visagedc1440
platter-faced1533
well-faced1534
full-faced1543
fair-faced1553
bright-faceda1560
crab-faced1563
crab-snouted1563
crab-tree-faced1563
long-visaged1584
owlya1586
wainscot-faced1588
flaberkin1592
rough-hewn1593
angel-faced1594
round-faced1594
crab-favoured1596
rugged1596
weasel-faced1596
rough-faced1598
half-faced1600
chitty1601
lenten-faced1604
broad-faced1607
dog-faced1607
weaselled-faced1607
wry-faced1607
maid-faced1610
warp-faced1611
ill-faceda1616
lean-faceda1616
old-faceda1616
moon-faced1619
monkey-faced1620
chitty-face1622
chitty-faceda1627
lean-chapt1629
antic-faced1635
bloat-faced1638
bacon-facea1640
blue-faced1640
hatchet-faced1648
grave1650
lean-jawed1679
smock-faced1684
lean-visaged1686
flaber1687
baby-faced1692
splatter-faced1707
chubby1722
puggy1722
block-faced1751
haggard-looking1756
long-faced1762
haggardly1763
fresh-faced1766
dough-faced1773
pudding-faced1777
baby-featured1780
fat-faced1782
haggard1787
weazen-face1794
keen1798
ferret-like1801
lean-cheeked1812
mulberry-faced1812
open-faced1813
open-countenanced1819
chiselled1821
hatchety1821
misfeatured1822
terse1824
weazen-faced1824
mahogany-faced1825
clock-faced1827
sharp1832
sensual1833
beef-faced1838
weaselly1838
ferret-faced1840
sensuous1843
rat-faced1844
recedent1849
neat-faced1850
cherubimical1854
pinch-faced1859
cherubic1860
frownya1861
receding1866
weak1882
misfeaturing1885
platopic1885
platyopic1885
pro-opic1885
wind-splitting1890
falcon-face1891
blunt-featured1916
bun-faced1927
fish-faced1963
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xix. l. 258 Grace gaue Piers a teme, foure gret oxen; Þat on was Luke, a large beste and a lowe-chered.
low-cost adj. relatively inexpensive; cheap, affordable.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > low price or rate > [adjective] > cheap > inexpensive
reasonable1585
uncostly1638
unexpensive1642
expenseless1644
affordable1647
frugal1783
inexpensive1837
low-cost1885
1885 Rep. Consuls U.S. on Commerce No. 57. 30 In regard to other articles the system works in the same manner, a low-cost article paying the same duty as a high-cost article of the same variety.
1934 H. L. Ickes Diary 10 Mar. in Secret Diary (1953) I. 152 Obviously it wasn't a model of low-cost housing for people on the very lowest rung of the economic order.
2011 Wall St. Jrnl. 28 May b7/4 The bare-bones, low-cost insurance that young families have favored for decades.
low council house n. Scottish (now historical) a council house (council house n. 1a) that is secondary to another, esp. in terms of size or importance.
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1619 in D. Masson Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1895) 1st Ser. XII. 27 Forsameikle as it is thoght meite and expedient be the Lordis of Secreit Counsall that the plaice of thair conveneing and meiting salbe heirefter in the laigh counsalhous of the burgh of Edinburgh.
1648 in Rec. Parl. Scotl. to 1707 (2007) 1648/3/41 As also appoyntis the foirsaid committie to meit..thairefter the said day in the old laich councell hous.
1753 Scots Mag. Apr. 162/2 The commissioners..shall meet in the laigh council-house, Edinburgh.
1934 H. F. Barclay & A. Wilson-Fox Hist. Barclay Family III. 85 The Provost..went into the Low Council House [in Aberdeen] (a place divided from that where the prisoners were only by a thin partition) where they cursed and swore..in the hearing of the prisoners.
1999 A. Pagett Bonnie Scotl. 16 Originally held in the old Low Council House in the Tolbooth, the Courts of Session..are to this day held in chambers adjacent to the Great Hall.
low day n. any day that is not set aside for religious observance; (Christian Church) any day that is not a Sunday or a feast day; opposed to high day n.1 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > period > a day or twenty-four hours > [noun] > week day > as opposed to market-day, festival-day, or Sunday
feriec1380
weekday1477
weekday1534
low day1566
warday1598
feria1763
everyday1798
ferial1877
1566 T. Stapleton Returne Vntruthes Jewelles Replie i. f. 27 The decree is made of a bishop and that..in the more solemne daies, not of euery Priest, in euery meane or lowe day.
?1613 T. Campion Two Bks. Ayres ii. To Ld. Clifford sig. H The vulgar Low-dayes vndistinguished, Are left for labour, games, and sportfull sights.
1871 J. Moody Sci. Evil 300 We have our high and low days, our feast and fast days, our saint and secular days, [etc.].
2003 Southland (N.Z.) Times (Nexis) 18 Aug. 13 Miss Searle performed the bulk of the [organ] playing—on Saturdays and Sundays, high days and low days, at weddings and funerals.
low definition n. and adj. (a) n. a low degree of definition (definition n. 5c) in a televised image; also in extended use; (b) adj. (of a televised image, etc.) making use of this degree of definition.
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1930 Brit. Patent 326,603 5/2 The rest of the picture of 20 square inches area may have a low definition, and therefore the transmission bandwidth may be reduced by ten times.
1935 M. G. Scroggie Television iii. 22 The scanner which has been used for the last few years to transmit the B.B.C. programmes by the Baird low-definition system.
1986 W. Weaver tr. U. Eco Trav. in Hyper Reality vi. 238 The reader seeks in the book a message at low definition, in which to find hallucinatory immersion.
1993 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 2 Sept. a20/2 Predicted additions include low-definition television, corded telephone and phoneless car.
2000 J. Caughie Television Drama i. 49 The audience of 1955, sitting in darkened rooms with a low-definition image and ‘boomy’ sound, seem to have been sitting, white-knuckled, on the edges of their sofas.
low-earth adj. Astronautics designating an orbit around the earth that has a maximum altitude of less than 2000 km (about 1200 miles), and the region in which such orbits are contained; (also) of or relating to such an orbit; chiefly in low-earth orbit; cf. low-orbit adj.
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1961 Technol. & Culture 2 124 A problem of major concern for manned flight beyond low earth orbits is that of radiation in space.
1987 New Scientist 5 Mar. 19/3 The rocket was intended to launch 15 tonnes into a low Earth orbit.
2001 N.Y. Times 2 Apr. c4/1 Low-earth satellites use various orbital paths to buzz around the globe at altitudes of 500 to 600 miles.
2008 A. C. Clarke & F. Pohl Last Theorem xxxvi. 235 The solar sailers will be in low earth orbit.
† Low Easterday n. Obsolete = Low Sunday n.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > 40 days up to Ascension > [noun] > first week in > first Sunday in
Low Sunday1431
mois1435
Quasimodo Sunday1607
Low Easterdaya1613
Renewal Sunday1862
a1613 G. Owen Descr. Penbrokshire (1892) 271 The second..on Ester mondaie..the thirde on Lowe Esterdaye.
1662 P. Gunning Paschal or Lent-Fast sig. Ppp2v (table) Sunday after Easter..Low-Sunday, Low-Easter-day, or the Octaves of Easter.
1906 Daily Chron. 23 Apr. 4/6 That this is called Low Week because it is the week following Low Sunday is clear; but how the Sunday after Easter got that name, with its varieties Low Easterday and Lower Easter Sunday, is quite uncertain.
† low embroidery n. Obsolete a type of embroidery in which the figures lie relatively flat on the groundwork, rather than being raised with padding.
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1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Embroidery Low Embroidery, where the Figures are low, and without any Enrichment between them.
1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 330/1 Low Embroidery, this term includes all the needlework formed with Satin or other fancy stitches upon solid foundations, whether worked upon both sides alike, or slightly raised (not padded) by run lines from the foundation.
low emission adj. and n. (also low emissions) (a) adj. (esp. with reference to vehicles or industrial processes) involving or requiring the emission of very few pollutants; (b) n. emission of few pollutants; cf. zero-emission n. and adj. at zero n. and adj. Compounds 2.ⓘEmissions are typically products of combustion, and may be gaseous or in particulate form. In the context of global warming, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are often implied.
ΚΠ
1967 N.Y. Times 10 Apr. 50/3 (advt.) We believe that a low-emission car..can and will be demonstrated soon.
1968 Science 5 July 27/3 Low emission is not an option with steam power,..it is built in.
1983 Economist 25 June 52 (advt.) In every area of technology, this E³ engine is a model of innovation. For example:..a low emissions combustor.
1997 Sierra Nov. 1 (advt.) Recently, Honda brought its advanced Low-Emission Vehicle (LEV) technology to everyone in America.
2007 N. Rosen How to live Off-grid viii. 333 Although propane is a fossil fuel, it burns cleaner than standard fuels, with relatively low emissions of greenhouse gases.
2021 Financial Times 30 Apr. 4 The law will strengthen low-emission zones for cars and aims to reduce Paris air pollution by 40 per cent in four years.
low-end adj. Business (originally U.S.) of or relating to the cheaper end (end n. 5d) of the market for a particular product or service; relatively cheap; not of a high quality or specification.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > merchandise > [adjective] > condition or quality of goods
middling1550
pedlaryc1555
shop-rid1620
shopworn1666
loyal1690
braided1721
country-damaged1847
shop-soiled1865
shoddy1882
as new1898
low-end1899
service weight1919
designer1940
high-end1956
loaded1968
market-leading1972
pound shop1989
1899 Amer. Wool & Cotton Reporter 23 Nov. 1374/3 There is some fall business under way, principally on low end goods, such as twills, cords and satinets.
1938 Fortune Sept. 126/1 The incidence of failure is the worst among the ‘low-end’ houses whose hats wholesale for less than $7.50 a dozen.
1986 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 21 Oct. 26/6 Very high quality, high-cost systems and low-end limited function systems.
2009 Wall St. Jrnl. 29 July b6/1 Data-analysis software..could..let low-end computers for the first time sift through millions of business records in seconds.
low-enriched adj. (of uranium) enriched so as to contain less than twenty per cent uranium-235; (of a reactor) employing such uranium.Low-enriched uranium is suitable for use in nuclear power, but must be further enriched for use in nuclear weapons.
ΚΠ
1954 Nucl. Reactor Devel. (Atomic Industr. Forum, Inc.) 23 The low-enriched pressurized water reactor is today better understood than other types.
1987 Financial Times 30 Apr. 2/2 High-speed centrifuges to produce low-enriched uranium for use in nuclear power plants.
2011 Washington Post (Nexis) 8 Nov. a17 Iran has produced more than 3,000 kilograms of low-enriched uranium and is accumulating more every day.
low explosive n. an explosive substance which ignites and decomposes at a rate similar to or slower than that of gunpowder; (in later use) spec. one which explodes at a rate slower than the speed of sound; (as a mass noun) material of this kind; contrasted with high explosive n. at high adj. and n.2 Compounds 4.Low explosives are often used as propellants on account of the volume and pressure of gases they produce on ignition.
ΚΠ
1885 Gold Mines & Mining in Calif. 175 The Judson Powder is a low explosive, the result of much experimenting. It is three or four times stronger than blasting powder.
1919 J. H. Hunter Hist. Explosives iii. 32 A nitroglycerin powder..was found to be the best shell for the 37-millimeter model 1916 gun, firing a low-explosive shell.
1962 Pop. Sci. July 71/1 It [sc. nitrogycerine] doesn't go ga-room like black powder, a low explosive. it whacks like the crack of doom.
2003 M. DiMercurio & M. Benson Compl. Idiot’s Guide Submarines xi. 143 Low explosive is touchy and flashes without much energy input, but it is weak.
2016 J. Goodpaster in J. Siegel Forensic Chem. v. 182 Low explosives are quite sensitive in that they can be easily ignited by spark, shock, or flame.
low feeding n. Agriculture the practice or result of providing domestic animals, esp. livestock, with a relatively limited amount of feed.
ΚΠ
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. xi. 252/1 Low feeding, is when he [sc. a cock] is poor and low in flesh.
1737 H. Bracken Farriery Improved xxxiv. 489 Scab or Mange..is often brought on from Over-heating, and Cooling too fast, from low Feeding, &c.
1849 Farmer's Mag. July 37/1 Sudden changes from high to low feeding, or vice versa, were bad.
1886 C. Scott Pract. Sheep-farming 55 Low Feeding of Sheep.
1972 Jrnl. Animal Sci. 35 1210 (heading) Effects of high and low feeding at two stages of the estrous cycle on follicular development in gilts from four genetic groups.
low fermentation n. fermentation that occurs at a relatively low temperature (typically below 10°C), taking place more slowly as a result.
ΚΠ
1823 Pamphleteer 22 109 To insure a good flavor, a low fermentation is necessary.
1842 T. Hitchcock Pract. Treat. Brewing 21 Worts, when fermenting, should lie deeper than they are broad, this state being more favourable to a low fermentation.
1906 A. J. Rice-Oxley tr. A. Gautier Diet & Dietetics 300 In low fermentation the must is leavened at a temperature of 5°.
2004 F. Parasecoli Food Culture Italy 83 The industry, which is particularly strong in the sector of low-fermentation lagers, grew again starting from the 1950s.
low fever n. (a) (relatively) slight elevation of body temperature during an illness; low-grade fever; an instance of this; (b) any of various diseases or disorders characterized by this, esp. typhoid fever (now historical).
ΚΠ
1698 J. Floyer Treat. Asthma To Rdr. sig. a8 These Diseases agree in the low Fever, and coldness of the Extremity.
1729 Enq. Causes Pres. Epidemical Dis. 50 I have often seen the Lancet drawn out, and us'd, with Regret and Fear, where I saw a low Fever and a violent Pain.
1861 C. Dickens Let. 1 Feb. (1997) IX. 383 My sailor-boy took a low fever.
1894 E. W. Latimer Eng. in Nineteenth Cent. xii. 339 At last his illness was pronounced to be low fever, or, as we should call it, typhoid.
1990 K. Frank Chainless Soul: Life E. Brontë ii. 55 They did not have the ‘low fever’ of typhoid which was prostrating their schoolmates.
2002 N.Y. Times 17 Feb. 29/4 Fifth disease, so called because it was once considered one of five main childhood diseases, produces a low fever and coldlike symptoms.
low fidelity n. a low degree of fidelity (fidelity n. 2c) in reproduced sound or images; also in extended use; usually attributive; cf. lo-fi n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > sound recording or reproducing equipment > [adjective]
integrating1654
phonographical1846
melographic1863
phonographic1878
transcription1936
hi-fi1938
high fidelity1938
low fidelity1939
reel-to-reel1961
1939 U.S. Patent 2,165,856 1/1 My invention is directed broadly toward the reception of speech.., such as may modulate a common low fidelity audio frequency carrier.
1962 J. H. Simpson & R. S. Richards Physical Princ. Junction Transistors xviii. 451 For low-fidelity communication links using portable equipment a narrow-band FM system..may be used.
1970 Billboard 29 Aug. 15/1 A new Midi auto tape player designed to solve the problem of low fidelity in compact auto players.
1999 S. Sade in W. Green & P. W. Jordan Human Factors in Product Design vii. 67 Models and prototypes can be of high or low fidelity. High fidelity models are finished and detailed... Low fidelity models are limited in some way, they may be visually rough or represent only certain features of the product.
2008 Independent 19 Mar. (Extra section) 8/4 He discovered..online communities of photographers espousing low-fidelity images.
low-field adj. Physics characterized by or related to a weak electric or magnetic field.
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1945 P. J. Nolan & E. F. Fahy in Proc. Royal Irish Acad. 1944–5 A. 50 237 The major part of this distortion would occur in the low-field region of the curves.
1963 Radiation Res. 18 503 Irradiated cysteine and cysteamine hydrochloride also give a low-field spectrum.
1990 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Apr. 95/3 One electric-blanket manufacturer is already marketing a low-field blanket.
2004 K. Nakamura & T. Harayama Quantum Chaos & Quantum Dots viii. 131 In the low-field regime..a perturbational treatment should work well.
† low-filleted adj. Obsolete rare (of a horse) having low fillets (fillet n.1 5d); cf. filleted adj.2
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1687 London Gaz. No. 2271/4 Stolen or strayed.., a Chesnut Gelding.., low-Fillited.
low-flash adj. (of a fuel or other flammable substance) having a flashpoint at a relatively low temperature (and so susceptible to spontaneous ignition).
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1882 Rep. State Board Health N.Y. 43 Low flash oils inflame when the lamps containing them are spilled.
1894 Westm. Gaz. 25 July 2/3 Low-flash oils, imported chiefly from America.
1975 New Scientist 27 Nov. 521/1 If there were a large spillage of low flash products, it would be possible for the vapour/air mixture to catch fire.
2010 Handbk. Internat. Electr. Safety Pract. (Princeton Energy Resources Internat.) iii. 201 The escaping flammable liquids are low-flash products and..are releasing vapor at the usual atmospheric temperatures.
low-floor adj. designating a bus, tram, etc., with a relatively low floor height in relation to the ground, and with no entrance steps, thereby providing easy access for passengers and for wheelchairs, pushchairs, etc.
ΚΠ
1972 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 12 Sept. 14 f/2 If someone would invent a low floor bus suitable for wheelchair riders, all would be fine.
1995 Applicability of Low-floor Light Rail Vehicles in N. Amer. (National Research Council) 47/1 There are several significant issues that North American LRT systems should examine when considering low-floor light rail vehicles.
2012 Buses Apr. 7/3 Its requirements for London include 13 full low-floor Mercedes-Benz Cilatros for one of the..Transport for London contracts.
low-flush adj. designating a toilet, urinal, etc., with a flushing mechanism that uses significantly less water than a conventional one.
ΚΠ
1978 Pop. Sci. May 212/2 (advt.) Low Flush or Waterless Toilets to solve your sanitation problems.
1993 Vegetarian Times July 84/3 Public buildings [in Switzerland] have low-flush toilets that use only a gallon of water per flush, compared to about five gallons in standard American toilets.
2011 D. Neenan No Excuses 142 We..have a low-flush urinal (one pint) in our other men's bathroom.
low-flux adj. (a) containing a low proportion of flux; (b) characterized by a low concentration of flux (flux n. 9).
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1906 H. Ries Clays ii. 70 This is true only of those clays containing a high percentage of common fluxes and silica and which are burned at low temperatures. Its effect on highly aluminous low flux clays reduces their refractoriness.
1910 W. H. Dall & P. Bartsch New Species Shells 132 This is true only of those clays containing a high percentage of common fluxes and silica, and which are burned at low temperatures. Its effect on highly aluminous low flux clays reduces their refractoriness.
1956 Nature 4 Feb. 205/2 The rent of experimental facilities in [the nuclear reactor] DIDO may vary from £100 a day down to £10 a day for those in less-attractive low-flux positions.
1997 J. M. Holl Argonne National Lab. iv. 117 Two 8-by-12-inch biological holes in a low-flux area accommodated experiments to measure the effect of..gamma radiation on small animals.
1999 N. Wood Chinese Glazes iv. 84/1 It is also likely that the more siliceous and flux-rich bodies..encouraged glassier results from the glazes—compared with the more reserved qualities that the high-alumina, low-flux clays..supplied.
low gear n. a gear in which the ratio between the speed of rotation of the driving mechanism of a vehicle and that of the driven wheels is small, such that an engine, cyclist, etc., has to produce more revolutions for the same distance travelled and the overall speed of the vehicle is low; also figurative and in figurative contexts; cf. high gear n. at high adj. and n.2 Compounds 4.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > gear > specific gear
bottom gear?1865
high gear1889
low gear1895
fourth1900
second gear1902
first gear1907
second1907
first1909
second speed1912
high1914
low1914
1895 U.S. Patent 536,325 2/1 The connection of the motor to the driven axle..remains at low gear after the release of the wheels by the brakes long enough to enable the car to be started through the low-gear connection.
1938 J. Thurber Let. 23 Feb. (2002) 279 It was a breathtaking mile and a half that we rode, mostly in low gear, bumping like a broncho.
1997 Radio Times 7 June (Midlands ed.) 53/1 Director Ronald Neame is content to cruise in low gear, thus wasting the villainous potential of Herbert Lom.
2005 Time 2 May 60/2 Bombarded with new information, our brains shift into low gear, just when we need to move fast.
2006 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Jan. 79/1 For high torque, equivalent to low gear, the drive cones widen and the belt slides down, while the driven cones tighten and the belt slides up.
low gearing n. (a) (a system of) gearing that uses low gears; (b) (chiefly British) a low ratio of a company's borrowings to its equity; = negative gearing n. (b) at negative adj., adv.2, and int. Compounds.
ΚΠ
1883 Newcastle Courant 21 Sept. 4/8 Experiments are..being made to produce a tricycle for weight-carrying—a machine with a low-gearing, as ease of propulsion, not pace, is desirable.
1884 Colonies & India 14 Mar. Suppl. 9/1 If the gearing answers the expectations of the inventor.., the long controversy as to the relative advantages of high or low gearing receives its quietus.
1937 Manch. Guardian 7 Apr. 16/1 The policy of the directors has always been underdistribution of earnings and large allocations to reserves, despite the ‘low gearing’ of the company.
1996 Adv. Driving Milestones Winter 34/3 Low gearing..does have a disadvantage: at motorway speeds the engine is working hard and is uncomfortably boomy over a long drive.
2007 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 16 Aug. (City section) 3 Quintain posted a trading update, saying that its low gearing and diversified projects would help it through a turbulent period.
low grinding n. Manufacturing Technology (now historical) = low milling n.
ΚΠ
1819 E. N. Hayman Art of Brewing 6 Here the value of the mashing machine is discovered, effectually preventing..the possibility of setting the goods (or malt) by low grinding.
1884 Bath Herald 27 Dec. 6/4 [Flour Mill.] The system in vogue up to a dozen years ago was low grinding.
1945 J. F. Lockwood Flour Milling xvii. 283 The wheat could..be rapidly and roughly reduced to flour by setting the two stones very close together, a process called low grinding.
1996 Technol. & Culture 37 38 In low-grinding the grain passes through millstones set close together.
low-ground adj. situated or taking place on lower ground; spec. that lives or grows at lower ground.
ΚΠ
1616 G. Markham tr. C. Estienne et al. Maison Rustique (rev. ed.) iv. i. 492 The husbandman keepeth his high-land hay for his cattell which are to be fed, and his low-ground hay for those which worke.
1846 Glasgow Herald 10 Apr. Two adjoining Farms, with excellent Low Ground Shooting.
1897 Westm. Gaz. 1 Sept. 1/3 The high and low ground game fauna of the country.
2008 K. Dun Beautiful Sheep 88/1 Ewes have a strong maternal instinct and, when crossed with low-ground breeds, can pass this trait on to their offspring.
low-keyed adj. (a) having or using a low musical key; (b) = low key adj. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > humility > modesty > [adjective] > modest or unpretentious specifically of things
modest1582
lowly1637
submiss1638
verecundiousa1639
unambitious1713
quiet1768
chastea1797
unassuminga1807
unshowy1838
low-keyed1878
low key1897
1786 R. Polwhele Eng. Orator (ed. 2) i. 33 Whether the Exordium bid thy low-key'd Voice Accordant with thy tremulous Air.
1841 Ladies' Compan. Dec. 73/1 Recalling his gentle smile and the rich tones of his low-keyed voice!
1878 6th Ann. Rep. Wisconsin Dairymen's Assoc. 37 He is a low-browed, low-keyed individual, who can practice the virtues on which success is predicated.
1912 Everybody's Mag. Feb. 262 What singer can sing of me one low-keyed song?
1960 R. Davies Voice from Attic 19 Nothing could be farther from my intention, and I know that many readers are happiest with a low-keyed and antitheatrical approach to their pleasure.
1969 Daily Tel. 11 Feb. 16/1 A fairly low-keyed inquiry.
1998 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 26 Mar. 10/2 Jeremy Irons offers a rather low-keyed, unfreaky Humbert.
Low Latin n. and adj. [= French bas-latin] (a) n. any form of post-classical Latin; esp. late Latin; (b) adj. of or relating to this.This term has been applied to post-classical Latin of various periods, but is no longer widely used in view of its negative connotations.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > postulated Italo-Celtic > Latin > medieval or modern
modern Latin1677
Low Latin1704
Middle Latin1781
neo-Latin1850
1704 J. Ozell tr. C. Perrault Characters Greatest Men in France I. 150 He hath made, for this purpose, Glossaries of the Mean and Low Latin.
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Minstrel, n. s. [menestril, Spanish; menestrallus, low Latin].
1872 J. Yeats Growth Commerce 159 The Hanseatic league derives its name from the Low Latin ‘hansa’.
1914 Mod. Philol. 11 8 It is most probable that Burton, that omnivorous reader of Latin and low-Latin literature, refers to the Latin epigram.
1999 S. Broughton et al. World Music: Rough Guide I. i. 225/1 The old language of Mirandês, derived possibly from an early language of Spain's Leon or from Low Latin.
† Low Latinist n. Obsolete a student or scholar of Low Latin.
ΚΠ
1864 Peter Parley's Ann. 237 Jim had been a little while in the law, and was a little bit of a Low Latinist.
1911 Nation 28 Dec. 622/1 But to-day, for aught we know, there are congresses of low Latinists, and it is seen that if low Latin is to be raised to its proper level, it must be learned from eloquent lips.
low-latitude adj. designating a place, thing, etc., in a relatively low latitudinal position, esp. close to the earth's equator; cf. sense A. 15e.
ΚΠ
1865 Proc. Royal Geogr. Soc. 8 168 Lower down was the low-latitude fishery.
1894 Royal Astron. Soc. 54 131 On September 4 a small low latitude spot was seen for the last time, and for three months all the spots observed were in high latitudes.
1928 Econ. Geogr. 4 313/2 American canned foods of the type not otherwise available in these low latitude countries are finding an increasing market.
1970 Jrnl. Brit. Astron. Assoc. 81 51 The principal feature of this region is Mare Acidalium, its complex nature being well seen by Dragesco who had the great advantage of a low latitude observatory.
2005 M. Bjornerud Reading Rocks 209 (Gloss.) Rodinia: supercontinent that existed in latest Proterozoic time... Rodinia's low-latitude position may have been responsible for the Snowball Earth ice age.
low-loader n. a lorry having a low deck and no sides, used to transport heavy loads; (also) the trailer of this type of lorry.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > motor lorry, truck, or van > [noun] > truck or lorry > low-loader
low-loader1925
scow1942
1925 Register (Adelaide) 9 Dec. 5/4 (heading) Passenger Dennis. Four wheel braked low loader.
1927 Times (Weekly ed.) 3 Nov. 495/4 Two open coaches mounted on six-cylindered low-loader commercial chassis.
1973 J. Leasor Host of Extras i. 23 I may have to carry them [sc. old cars] round the country on a low loader to show them to someone who can't come to London.
2002 Guardian 14 Dec. (Weekend Suppl.) 44/1 They were in individual crates on the back of two low-loaders.
low-loss adj. characterized by or causing little dissipation of electrical or electromagnetic energy, or of signal strength.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > [adjective] > characterized by small loss of energy
low-loss1921
1921 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. 191 483 The condenser..need not be a low loss condenser.
1962 D. R. Corson & P. Lorrain Introd. Electromagn. Fields xii. 418 The medium of propagation is a low-loss dielectric.
2012 D. Hood & E. Trojer Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Networks iii. 62 Fusion splicing produces a very low-loss joint, 0.05–0.1 dB, but the joint is mechanically weak.
low-lying n. and adj. (a) n. the action of lying low; the fact of being low-lying (see sense A. 3a); (b) adj. situated below or close to sea level; flat, not mountainous; (more generally) situated close to or just above the ground.
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the world > space > relative position > low position > [adjective]
lowc1225
base?a1425
howea1500
low-down1548
humble1579
lowly1579
low-lying1809
low-level1845
the world > the earth > land > ground > [adjective] > close to
low-lying1856
1611 J. Davies Scourge of Folly 176 Some wantons stand in their owne light. Yet their lowe lying makes them light.
1712 J. Ozell tr. A. Dacier in tr. Homer Iliad I. ii. 97 Those who inhabited low-lying spacious Lacedæmon..had for their Leander the valiant Menelaus.
1809 W. Stevenson Gen. View Agric. Surrey vii. 214 On account both of the nature of the clay, the low-lying of the fields, and the general flatness of the surface.
1856 C. J. Lever Martins of Cro' Martin 611 A mild, soft day, with low-lying clouds.
1910 H. S. Johnson Williams on Service (1934) xi. 113 A gibbous moon hung, red and glowing above a low-lying bed of clouds.
2001 O. R. Impey Hiroshige's Views of Mount Fuji 9 The low lying of the land.., which was mostly built on marsh.
2011 Church Times 14 Jan. 21/1 Barra is a joy... There is the characteristic machair (beach pasture) of the Western Isles, low-lying fertile, flower-filled plains.
† low maple n. North American Obsolete the mountain maple ( Acer spicatum) of north-eastern North America.
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the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > tree or shrub groups > maples > [noun]
maple treeOE
maplec1385
plane tree1562
great maple1597
sycamore-tree1597
sycamore1598
sugar-tree1705
sugar maple1731
red maple1767
scarlet maple1768
rock maple1774
white maple1774
silk wood1775
moosewood1778
mountain maple1785
box elder1787
acer1793
sycamore maple1796
mock plane1797
Montpellier maple1797
water maple1803
soft maple1806
sugar-wood1809
swamp maple1810
low maple1813
maple bush1821
Neapolitan maple1833
snake-bark1838
moose-maple1839
sap-tree1843
Manitoba maple1887
Japanese maple1898
curly maple1909
Queensland maple1915
paperbark maple1927
Amur maple1934
1813 H. Muhlenberg Catal. Plantarum Americæ Septentrionalis 95 Mountain maple or low maple.
1832 D. J. Browne Sylva Americana 102 It is sometimes called Low Maple, from the dwarfish stature of the tree.
1913 H. H. Gibson Amer. Forest Trees 435 Mountain Maple (Acer spicatum) is known also as moose maple, low maple, and water maple. It is a small tree at best.
low-margin adj. (of goods, or a group, business, organization, etc.) that has a low profit margin; that yields only a small profit.
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1907 Rep. Commissioner of Corporations on Petroleum Industry: Pt. II xi. 487 (heading) Selected low-margin and high-margin towns.
1960 Kiplinger's Personal Finance Feb. 15/1 The $1.98 records are low-margin merchandise. To pay off, they must sell by thousands.
2011 A. V. Thakor Four Colors Business Growth iv. 41 It expanded aggressively into groceries, a low-margin business.
Low Mass n. [compare post-classical Latin missa bassa (15th cent. in British and continental sources)] chiefly Roman Catholic Church (frequently with capital initials) a mass which is said rather than sung and is celebrated without elaborate ceremonial (opposed to High Mass n. at high adj. and n.2 Compounds 4); esp. a Latin mass of the Tridentine Rite celebrated without music or incense, or deacons or subdeacons.
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society > faith > worship > sacrament > communion > mass > kinds of mass > [noun] > low
swimessec1000
Low Mass1531
low celebration1858
1531 Prymer of Salysbury Use sig. Bviiv Abyde in the chyrche the space of a lowe masse.
1691 Galliæ Notitia 68 To say everybody..a low Mass before the King.
1865 Catholic World Aug. 720/1 They [sc. the additions] consist of the ceremonies of low mass, low mass for the dead, and the manner of giving holy communion within the mass or at other times.
1931 E. C. Trenholme (title) Anglican low mass.
1966 W. H. Auden About House 13 From gallery-grave..To Low Mass..Is hardly a tick by the carbon clock.
2005 J. McGahern Memoir 135 She had paid the priest herself for a Low Mass in Corleehan.
low milling n. Manufacturing Technology (now historical) milling in which the wheat grain is reduced to flour in a single operation by close grinding between flat millstones; cf. high milling n. at high adj. and n.2 Compounds 4.
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1875 E. N. Horsford Rep. Vienna Bread ii. 35 In low milling, the pointed or clipped grain is passed through stones at the nearest adjustment, by which it is at once and most perfectly ground to the finest flour.
1910 Farmers' Bull. (U.S. Dept. Agric.) No. 111. 12 In Hungary the old Roman system of cylinder milling,..has been developed, but elsewhere the systems which are known as high and low milling are more common.
1958 T. N. Morris in C. Singer et al. Hist. Technol. V. 29 In the English style of milling, known as ‘low milling’, the mill-stones were in close contact from the first.
low-minded adj. (originally) †having a modest or humble character; not proud or haughty (obsolete); (now usually) focused on sordid, corrupt, or disreputable concerns; spec. immoral, unscrupulous; cf. high-minded adj.
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1549 M. Coverdale et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. II. 1 Pet. v. f. xiiii His [sc. God's] delyght is in lowe mynded heartes.
1602 T. Dekker Satiro-mastix sig. Dv I know th'art an honest low minded Pigmey, for I ha seene thy shoulders lapt in a Plaiers old cast Cloake, like a Slie knaue as thou art.
1744 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons (new ed.) 141 Giddy Fashion and low-minded Pride.
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. I. 323 The four clowns..may be all very well for the low-minded holiday makers.
1836 J. F. Cooper Homeward Bound II. xiv. 203 I have observed that the people in most monarchies are abject and low-minded in their deportment.
1863 E. Dicey Six Months in Federal States II. 245 A low-minded, unscrupulous bully, notorious for his pro-Slavery sympathies.
2012 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 16 Aug. a22 Placing a veneer of civic responsibility on a low-minded and sleazy political ploy.
low-mindedness n. the condition or quality of being low-minded.
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1579 tr. Abia Nazarenus Reproofe against All False Christians sig. A3v O God, prepare the Heartes of ye People to the Lowmyndednes, that mought stand in Meekmyndednes submit to the Loue.
1829 R. Southey Sir Thomas More (1831) II. 48 Not so much from the low-mindedness of individuals, as from the circumstances wherein they are placed.
2011 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 6 Mar. vi. 36 The documentarist Alex Gibney pursues his subjects with a disarming mix of high-and low-mindedness.
low-molecular adj. Chemistry having a low molecular weight.
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the world > matter > chemistry > atomic chemistry > [adjective] > relating to molecules > having low molecular weight
low-molecular1917
1917 U.S. Patent 1,234,886 3/1 A regularly gasifying depolymerization sets in with the production of low-molecular gaseous hydrocarbons.
1973 Materials & Technol. VI. viii. 606 For the plasticizing of the more polar cellulose nitrate the low-molecular phthalates are preferred.
2010 Environmental Health Perspectives 118 482/2 We evaluated the..permeability of brain micro vessels using a low-molecular tracer.
low-neck adj. and n. (a) adj. (attributive) (of clothing) low-necked; (b) n. a garment, esp. a dress, that has a low neckline.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > having specific parts > neckline
decolouredc1430
high1590
low-cuta1600
low1818
low-necked1830
low-neck1858
décolleté1884
semi-high1905
boat-shaped1921
turtle-necked1931
crew neck1940
polo-collared1946
polo-necked1948
plunge-line1949
plunge-necked1949
crew-necked1950
plunge neck1951
scoop-necked1955
bateau-necked1959
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > dress, robe, or gown > types of > other
gite13..
long dress1731
Jesuit1767
Brunswick1769
overdress1812
fancy dress1826
agbada1852
stone-bluea1855
low-neck1858
Dolly Varden1872
sundress1875
frump1886
harem dress1911
kimono gowna1922
gina-gina1923
dirndl1937
qipao1955
cheongsam1957
sack dress1957
tent dress1957
gomesi1965
minidress1965
poncho dress1968
longuette1970
anarkali1988
suit dress2017
1858 A. Mayhew Paved with Gold xiv. 199 Every low-neck dress would adore him.
1866 W. D. Howells Venetian Life xx. 329 Ladies planted in formal rows of low-necks and white dresses.
1901 Lady's Realm 10 646/2 With the coat and skirt the low-neck blouse is woefully out of place.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. 690 If all the women were her sort down on bathingsuits and lownecks.
2006 Sunday Mail (Glasgow) (Nexis) 26 Feb. 22 I caused a stir by wearing a low-neck top and tight jeans.
2008 Z. Simpson Matter of Degree ii. 174 I crossed my arms over my low neck and balcony bra. Embarrassment ignited the embers of my hot flush.
low-necked adj. that has a low neck; spec. (of clothing) that has a low neckline.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > having specific parts > neckline
decolouredc1430
high1590
low-cuta1600
low1818
low-necked1830
low-neck1858
décolleté1884
semi-high1905
boat-shaped1921
turtle-necked1931
crew neck1940
polo-collared1946
polo-necked1948
plunge-line1949
plunge-necked1949
crew-necked1950
plunge neck1951
scoop-necked1955
bateau-necked1959
1791 W. Hamilton tr. C.-L. Berthollet Elements Art of Dyeing I. 211 For this rectification we ought to choose a low necked retort.
1830 tr. L. A. F. De Bourrienne Private Mem. N. Bonaparte II. ii. 36 He frequently expressed his disapproval of the low-necked dresses which were so much in fashion at the beginning of the consulate.
1858 E. B. Lee Parthenia xxvi. 230 A lovely infant, clothed only with a little low-necked shirt, one sleeve of which had fallen off.
1999 M. Sawyer Park & Ride (2000) iv. 80 Dressed to pull, in minis and little low-necked tops, they looked as though they were off to a nightclub.
low-orbit adj. (esp. of a satellite) that has a low orbit, esp. a low-earth orbit; relating to or involving such an orbit.
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1953 P. F. Brandwein et al. You & Your Inheritance xxii. 438/1 A low-orbit rocket moon would be an earth-watching station.
1986 Bull. Atomic Scientists May 29/2 Low-orbit satellites can also be attacked from higher orbits.
2012 Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City) (Nexis) 23 May Reliable and relatively cost-efficient vehicles for low-orbit travel.
low pad n. cant (now historical). a highwayman who robs on foot, as opposed to on horseback; = footpad n.1; cf. low toby n., earlier low-padding n.Opposed to highpad n. at high adj. and n.2 Compounds 4.
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the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > robber > [noun] > highwayman > footpad
trailer1591
commissioner of Newmarket heath1592
foot land-raker1598
striker1598
padder1610
footman1615
footpad1670
low pad1673
spice1819
padfoot1838
1673 R. Head Canting Acad. 65 The Ruffler is metamorphosed into a Low-Pad.
1792 Fortnights Ramble through London 69 We have among us—Rum-divers,..Fawney-riggers, Low-pads, Gaggers.
1834 W. H. Ainsworth Rookwood II. iii. v. 331 Thus spoke Jerry:—‘Highest of High Tobymen!.. High Pads and Low Pads, Rum Gills and..Whip Jacks.’
2009 R. Melikan Counterfeit Guest vi. 86 Drake's tone descended from the familiar to the conspiratorial. ‘Low pads been up to their tricks again?’
† low-padding n. cant. Obsolete robbery carried out by a person on foot, as opposed to on horseback; cf. low pad n., low toby n., padding n.2 1.
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the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > robbery > [noun] > highway robbery > by footpad
low-padding1671
footpadding1695
low toby1807
spice1819
footpaddery1859
1671 R. Head & F. Kirkman Eng. Rogue IV. xi. 168 Fellows..commence Master of Arts; which Arts are divided into that of High-Padding, Low-Padding, Cloy-Filing, Bung-Nipping, Prancers-Prigging, [etc.].
† low-parted adj. Obsolete lacking intelligence; of no great talent or ability; cf. parted adj.2 1.
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the world > action or operation > ability > inability > [adjective] > untalented
partless1603
low-parted1662
untalented1753
talentless1831
giftless1894
crap1936
no-talent1952
1662 W. Gurnall Christian in Armour: 3rd Pt. 577 The heart [may be] sound and sincere, where the head is low-parted.
1754 Z. Grey Crit., Hist. & Explanatory Notes Shakespeare II. 217 The like observation was made by a wag, upon a low-parted gentleman. Put him on (says he) a double buttoned coat, and I'll hold any wager, that he does not know his right hand from his left.
† Low Parties n. Obsolete = the Low Countries at low country n. 2a.
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the world > the earth > named regions of earth > Europe > Low Countries > [noun] > Netherlands or Holland
Holland?a1400
Low Parties1508
United Provinces1579
United States1600
Dutchland1617
1508 King Henry VII Let. in J. Gairdner Lett. Reigns of Richard III & Henry VII (1861) I. 449 He [would shew] unto us mervelous conclusions touching the rule and [governance] of these Lowe parties.
1531 T. Cromwell Let. May in R. B. Merriman Life & Lett. T. Cromwell (1902) I. 339 Ye shall with all diligence aduertise h[is] highnes of..the gifte of money in the low countreys to themperowr the abyding of themperour in the low parties [etc.].
low-pass adj. chiefly Electronics designating a filter that passes only those signal components with a frequency less than some cut-off frequency, and attenuates components with a higher frequency.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic devices or components > [adjective] > relating to types of filter
low-pass1917
high-pass1921
all-pass1930
narrow-cut1964
1917 U.S. Patent 1,353,698 4/2 The filter..may be a so-called low pass filter of the Campbell type.
1964 B. V. Rollin Introd. Electronics i. 10 The network therefore behaves as a low pass filter and passes, without attenuation, all frequencies from zero up to a cut-off frequency.
1991 Lit. & Ling. Computing 6 22/2 A low-pass filter gets rid of a lot of noise while losing only a little signal.
2009 D. Paterson Rain 19 When you open up those low-pass filters in what sounds like a Minimoog emulation they seem to open in my heart also.
low point n. the worst state of, or lowest level reached by, something; the nadir; (also) the least interesting, enjoyable, commendable, etc., part or moment of something; frequently, esp. in early use, with of.
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the world > action or operation > adversity > [noun] > fall from prosperous or thriving condition > low condition or low point > lowest point
low tide1608
low-water mark1651
falla1662
perigee1662
low point1749
bathos1759
nadir1793
pessimism1794
zero1821
bed-rock1883
rock-bottom1885
ultima Thule1976
1749 tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote (ed. 2) II. i. xvii. 96 It is better the valiant should rise to the high pitch of temerity, than sink to the low point of cowardice.
1758 Polit. Touch-stone 39 Why are the Dutch in such a low point of reputation? Because the polite arts are not encouraged amongst them.
1803 Monthly Reg. Aug. 204 The marine of France is..at a low point, but her army is immense.
1836 London Rev. Jan. 292 It is..the main cause why the state of intellect, of morals, and of taste, is in this country at the low point at which..it remains.
1932 J. S. Huxley Probl. Relative Growth iii. 87 Here the low point of growth, or ‘negative growth-centre’, is also in the merus.
1959 H. Weintraub A. Furuseth xii. 190 A low point was reached in 1925 when K. N. Nolan,..secretary-treasurer.., suddenly disappeared with almost $4,000 in union funds.
1987 W. Greider Secrets of Temple i. i. 14 Jimmy Carter's political popularity had reached a dangerous low point.
2012 Independent 26 Sept. 7/1 A morning whose low point was a speech of heroic dreariness.
low post n. Basketball the area of the court near the baseline on either side of the free-throw lane; (also) an offensive position broadly corresponding to this area; cf. post n.1 9.
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1955 Oshkosh (Wisconsin) Daily Northwestern 21 Dec. 27/4 The low post plays under the basket and the high post is at the free throw line.
1972 D. Wolf Foul! xxiii. 312 Philadelphia assigned Matt Guokas..to set up in front of him in the corner and low post.
2009 Hoosier Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 18 Jan. (Herald-Times ed.) b3/4 Lewis committed four fouls trying to slow down Cornley, including one in the low post that easily could have been whistled as an intentional.
low-rank adj. that has a rank that is low; spec. (a) (Geology, of coal) having a relatively low carbon content (cf. rank n.1 10); (b) that has a low position within a hierarchy; low-ranking.
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1914 Paint, Oil & Drug Rev. 15 Apr. 21/2 Resinous material..was present in the coals buried in the ancient ‘Coal Measures’, as well as in the low-rank coals.
1950 J. F. Foster et al. in J. F. Foster & R. J. Lund Econ. of Fuel Gas from Coal v. 83 The economic advantage of the Lurgi process is that gasification of a cheaper, low-rank fuel is possible.
1986 J. Friedman Tales of Time Square (1993) 142 Low-rank mobsters, seemingly banished by their superiors to the unprestigious smut trade, spawned a multiplying swamp of pornography.
2007 Ambio 36 99/2 Low rank coal is found worldwide.
2012 Maclean's (Nexis) 10 Sept. 42 The first defections were mostly of low-rank soldiers.
low-res adj. colloquial (originally U.S.) short for low-resolution adj.
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1970 Bull. Atomic Scientists Feb. 26/2 (Table 3) Television Low-Res..High-Res.
1981 InfoWorld 27 Apr. 37/2 (advt.) It includes..16-digit precision, extensive edit commands and string functions, high and low-res Apple graphics, [etc.].
2004 D. A. Crowder & A. Bailey Creating Web Pages Bible (ed. 2) viii. 153 In HTML, you can specify that a low-res image be displayed on the Web page while the full version of the image is downloading.
low-residue adj. producing or leaving little residue (residue n. 4); (of a diet, meal, or food) containing a minimal amount of dietary fibre and other substances contributing to the volume of faeces.
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the world > food and drink > food > qualities of food > [adjective] > low-residue
low-residue1910
1910 Trans. Amer. Surg. Assoc. 28 269 In the after-treatment the bowels are not moved for three days and only a low residue diet is given.
1962 A. Shepard in J. Glenn et al. Into Orbit 98 I had a low residue breakfast of orange juice, a filet mignon wrapped in bacon, and some scrambled eggs.
2008 Weed Sci. 56 148/2 Farmers are more interested in providing ground cover after production of low-residue crops such as potato.
low-resolution adj. (of an image or device) having or giving a low degree of resolution (resolution n.1 6), lacking sharp focus or fine detail; esp. designating a visual output device, as a television, computer screen, or printer, whose images are not sharply defined; opposed to high-resolution.
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1920 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 6 32 This..shows in some high resolution mica films, where the tube was 3 meters from the mica instead of 75 cm., and in a few of the low resolution mica films.
1955 Science 27 May 740/2 When a low-resolution mass spectrometer is used for making isotype analyses, overlapping of mass peaks due to impurities can result in appreciable errors.
1975 H. W. Kroto Molecular Rotation Spectra (2003) 108 In a low resolution scan one observes the contours associated with the positions where the lines tend to pile up.
2003 Wall St. Jrnl. 10 Mar. b1/1 You can't get real high definition from a DVD... On current low-resolution television sets, none of this matters.
2005 J. A. King Digital Photogr. for Dummies (ed. 5) ii. 39 You may need a low-resolution image..—for example, if you want to display a picture on the Web.
low-rising adj. Phonetics (esp. of a tone) that begins low in pitch before rising.
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1888 H. Sweet Hist. Eng. Sounds (new ed.) 12 The gliding tones can also begin at any height—low-rising (ˏ), high-rising (´), etc.
1918 Jrnl. Royal Asiatic Soc. 614 Northern Panjābi and Lahndā have four tones—level, high-falling, low-rising, low-rising plus high-falling.
1974 Monumenta Serica 31 327 In Hungchan Miao it is..low rising; in Yi Miao..high rising.
2006 J. Owens Ling. Hist. Arabic vii. 200 An alternative interpretation would have imala as a low rising diphthong, [ai].
low rope n. now chiefly historical (in acrobatics) = slack-rope n. 1; (also occasionally) a low tightrope (cf. high wire n. and adj. at high adj. and n.2 Compounds 4).
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society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > acrobatic performance > [noun] > rope-walking or dancing > rope or wire
ropeeOE
low rope?c1635
slack-rope1749
slack wire1753
tightrope1801
blondin1863
high wire1863
slackline2002
?c1635 This Present Day shall bee showne Rare Dancing on Ropes (single sheet) One mayd of fifteene yeares of age, and another girle of foure years of age, doe dance on the low rope.
1697 J. Dryden Ded. Æneis in tr. Virgil Wks. sig. d1v This is like merry Andrew on the low Rope.
1888 Lipincott's Monthly Mag. Nov. 680 The ‘low rope’, on which the more youthful performers disport themselves, and which is stretched only some seven or eight feet from the ground.
1990 S. Shesgreen Cries & Hawkers of London 206/1 She was eclipsed by the great Italian Master who not only outdid all who had ever been seen on the low rope but also [etc.].
low season n. (a) the season of lowest rainfall in a particular region, the period when water levels are lowest; (b) the least popular time of year at a resort, hotel, tourist attraction, or the like, when prices are lowest; the period during which the fewest people travel, book accommodation, etc.; frequently attributive.
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1759 tr. M. Adanson Voy. Senegal 297 [The hedgehog] of Senegal..passes..some part of the low season, that is of the cold and dry season, in a species of lethargy.
1833 Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 3 243 There is a narrow bank of pebbles across the river, with three and a half..feet [of] water at the low season.
1902 H. Gannett Gazetteer Texas 128 It [sc. the Rio Grande] traverses an arid region and hence is subject to great variations in volume, being at the low season often dry at the point where it passes El Paso.
1941 Washington Post 16 Feb. vi. 7/2 The minimum fare, using the Santa Clara in the ‘low’ season on the Grace Line, is $550.
1996 J. Brown Hong Kong & Macau: Rough Guide (ed. 3) 3/2 Low-season fares (Oct–Feb) cost from around £650 return,..while in high season..you'll pay around £950.
2007 Esquire Nov. 46/1 Although it's officially the low season.., Vegas is heaving.
low-sized adj. now Irish English small in size or degree; (now) spec. (of a person) small, short of stature.
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1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 3rd Bk. Wks. xviii. 150 Sir, I beseech you to raise up your Spirits above the low-sized pitch of earthly Thoughts unto that hight of sublime Contemplation.
1882 J. H. Nodal & G. Milner Gloss. Lancs. Dial.: Pt. II 186 Low-sized, little, short of stature.
1907 J. Joyce Let. 1 Mar. (1966) II. 218 They were low-sized and quince-coloured [people].
1938 S. Beckett Murphy 97 A low-sized corpulent middle-aged woman.
2010 Western People (Ballina, County Mayo) (Nexis) 20 Jan. This columnist remembers Pappy Coleman as a low-sized Tirawley Park citizen.
low tea n. U.S. a light afternoon tea, distinguished from a high tea in that no meat is served (see high tea n. at high adj. and n.2 Compounds 4).
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the world > food and drink > food > meal > [noun] > tea
tea1738
high tea1787
tea and turn out1806
supper1818
tousy tea1835
meat tea1842
thé complet1856
low tea1883
thick tea1886
tea-supper1892
cream tea1964
1883 W. D. Howells Woman's Reason (new ed.) II. xviii. 133 The world..sent her invitations to little luncheons and low teas.
2006 L. H. Kotschevar & V. Luciani Presenting Service (ed. 2) v. 79 A more elaborate low tea might include cookies, mints, bonbons, or nuts, or may offer a dessert or fancy sandwiches.
low tension n. and adj. (a) n. a low electrical voltage; cf. tension n. 4, low voltage n.; (b) adj. having a low electrical voltage; also figurative.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > voltage > electrical potential > [noun] > low degree of
low tension1827
1827 J. Cumming Man. Electro Dynamics 231 All bodies capable of conducting electricity of low tension.
1847 Artizan Feb. 26/2 With either high or low tension Electricity,..where two or more paths are open to the action of Electricity, in a current form over solid bodies, the charge becomes in all cases divided.
1878 Pop. Sci. Monthly June 220 Other curious instances of low tension are seen in those unhappy mortals who conceive so truly, and have mental force in such quantity, that [etc.].
1924 A. J. Allmand & H. J. T. Ellingham Princ. Appl. Electrochem. (ed. 2) xxiii. 581 An auxiliary transformer of 150 K.V.A. capacity is provided, which feeds power at low tension into the hearth electrodes.
1948 Penguin New Writing 35 93 Poetry of a kind which is at present particularly in need of rescue from oblivion: what may be called low-tension poetry.
1995 J. Miller & M. Stacey Driving Instructor's Handbk. (ed. 8) vi. 171 The ignition system converts the low tension voltage from the battery into a high tension voltage.
2003 Stationary Engine Mag. Nov. 4/1 He would like to return the engine to its original low-tension ignition system.
low toby n. cant (now historical) robbery carried out by thieves on foot; opposed to the high toby at toby n.2; cf. low pad n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > robbery > [noun] > highway robbery > by footpad
low-padding1671
footpadding1695
low toby1807
spice1819
footpaddery1859
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > robbery > [noun] > highway robbery > by footpad > instance of
low toby1807
1807 Sessions' Papers Feb. 133/1 He..asked me if I had any objection of being in a good thing... I asked him when and..he replied it was low toby, meaning a fotpad [sic] robbery.
1866 A. Fergusson ‘Crusher’ & Cross xii. 93 Their charging him when he left with starting on the ‘low Toby’ rose often in his mind as he thought of home.
1986 P. O'Brian Reverse of Medal (1994) vii. 207 This here caper is not the low toby, nor the high toby, but the very tip-top or what you might call the celestial toby.
low-tongued adj. (a) = low-voiced adj.; (b) that speaks in a lewd or vulgar manner.
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iii. iii. 12 Didst heare her speake? Is she shrill tongu'd or low? View more context for this quotation
1822 G. Croly Let. 29 Mar. in Times Lit. Suppl. 6 Oct. (1950) 636/3 There are a dozen literary ruffians, who deserve your lash & can bear it through mere callousness—mean, malignant, low-lived & low-tongued.
1830 Ld. Tennyson Adeline in Poems 72 Doth the lowtongued Orient Wander from the side o' the morn.
1920 E. M. Bounds Purpose in Prayer ix. 102 Prayer may be low-tongued, but it cannot be cold-tongued.
2011 V. Cunningham Victorian Poetry Now iii. 104 ‘Fra Lippo Lippi’, the dramatic monologue of the low-tongued, fleshly-minded outsider artist-monk.
† low-vanitied adj. Obsolete deplorably vain.
ΚΠ
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. x. 40 Your foolish, your low-vanity'd Lovelace!
low-voiced adj. (of a person) that speaks in a low voice, soft-spoken; (of words) spoken in a low voice.
ΚΠ
1605 C. Tourneur Laugh & lie Downe sig. Aviv A handsome man, but poorely apparrelled, pale faced, thin hayred, and lowe voiced.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iii. iii. 13 Madam, I heard her speake, she is low voic'd . View more context for this quotation
1898 Cosmopolitan July 266/1 They passed two young men..who had their heads bent together in some low-voiced, private conversation.
1953 ‘N. Blake’ Dreadful Hollow 148 He stared up at her, and caught Charles's low-voiced words.
2005 Daily Tel. 27 Sept. 19/3 There's nothing worse than a 6ft, low-voiced, undercompetent person.
low voltage n. (a) n. a voltage that is low in value, spec. significantly less than the voltage of the mains; cf. low tension n. and adj.; (b) adj. having a low voltage; also figurative.
ΚΠ
1889 G. M. Hopkins Exper. Sci. xviii. 494 For metallurgical work a large current of low voltage is required.
1890 Electr. Engineer 28 Mar. 253/1 It..allows low voltage lamps to be used with their increased economy.
1971 L. Payne Even my Foot's Asleep i. 7 The soft glow of a low-voltage lamp.
1982 Giant Bk. Electronics Projects ii. 76 It uses both low voltage and low current.
1999 BBC Music Mag. Apr. 22/2 Excellent conducting by Wladimir Jurowski but a low-voltage production; only the second act caught fire.
2007 Good Weekend (Sydney) 8 Dec. 11/1 Circuit bending involves the deliberate short-circuiting of low-voltage electronic devices.
low warp n. Weaving (now historical) a manner of tapestry in which the warp is horizontal; tapestry woven in this way; frequently attributive.
ΚΠ
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Tapestry The Tapistry-men distinguish two Kinds of Work, viz. Tapistry of the high and low Warp; tho' the Difference is rather in the Manner of working, than in the Work itself.
1766 T. H. Croker et al. Compl. Dict. Arts & Sci. III. at Tapestry The weaver in the upright way having prepared a good stock of quills, filled with threads of all colours, goes to work, placed on the back part, as in the flat way, or in the manufacture of the low-warp.
1842 F. Lambert Hand-bk. Needlework ii. 24 Two methods were formerly practised in the manufacture of tapestry..: in the first, or low warp, which is now relinquished, the loom was placed horizontally, similar to common weaving.
1899 J. W. Mackail Life W. Morris II. 46 The low-warp loom he dismissed, as useless for his purpose.
1958 Bull. Museum Fine Arts 56 157 The cartoon-painter had made an error in reversing the inscription as required by the low-warp tapestry technique.
2006 Art Inst. Chicago Museum Stud. 32 65/1 La Croix, who was of Flemish origin, directed low-warp workshops.
low wattage n. (a) n. a wattage, esp. of an electric light, that is low in value; (b) adj. having a low wattage; also figurative.
ΚΠ
1911 Electr. World 7 Oct. 864/2 He stated that these lamps would be supplied in low wattages within a short time.
1914 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. 177 569 The author would like to consider the relative economy in power secured with low wattage lamps.
1963 Pop. Sci. May 194/2 Fluorescent lights of low wattage around the mirrors didn't provide enough light.
1972 Life 3 Mar. 68/1 The senator's drawing power was of rather a low wattage.
1997 When Sat. Comes Jan. 22/3 Puerile tabloid rantings are met with increased sales from the low-wattage masses.
2007 Independent 28 Feb. 9/2 In the ‘kennel’ cells, also windowless and lit by a single caged low wattage bulb, there was not enough room to spread your arms.
Low Week n. the week following Easter week, beginning on Low Sunday.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > 40 days up to Ascension > [noun] > first week in > week following
Low Week1850
1850 N. Wiseman Let. 3 May in ‘American Democrat’ True Acct. Hungarian Revol. (1851) 143 The Bishops assembled here in Low Week, desired me to express, [etc.].
1884 W. E. Addis & T. Arnold Catholic Dict. 604 From Holy Saturday till Saturday in Low Week.
2000 Church Times 5 May 1/2 Low Week draws to a close with the Church Times Train-a-Priest..Fund running total standing at £78,501.47.
low-withered adj. (of a horse) that has low withers (withers n. a).
ΚΠ
1855 Bombay Q. Rev. July 78 In India where our horses are mostly all narrow in front, low-withered, round-barrelled and well-ribbed, it is useless.
1884 St. Stephen's Rev. 28 June 14/2 Saddles..suited to the low-withered Arab horses.
2005 D. Aadland 101 Trail Riding Tips 81 Particularly needed on low-withered horses, the crupper is helpful for all.
low-witted adj. (a) showing or caused by malice; spiteful, mean; (b) lacking intelligence or depth; not showing or capable of serious thought.
ΚΠ
1742 B. Martyn Acct. shewing Progress Colony of Georgia (new ed.) Pref. sig. a2 The real Offspring of such factious and turbulent Authors; being a mean low-witted Sneer, a malicious ill-natured Invective.
1757 G. Baretti Italian Libr. 124 We have nothing in Italy but..a kind of plays..recited extempore by different companies of low-witted fellows.
1886 R. Eddy Universalism in Amer. II. ii. 111 It [sc. a speech] was satirical and low-witted, and had evidently been studied and premeditated for some time.
1940 Yale Law Jrnl. 49 1009 The act of a child between six and seven..may actually be more intelligently and consciously planned than the acts of many a low-witted adult.
2009 Monterey (Calif.) County Herald (Nexis) 15 Nov. If you're going to use low-witted tricks to move to the next level, you're probably going places you have no business going.
low wood n. underwood, copsewood; a body of low-growing or shrubby wood.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > tree or woody plant > wood or assemblage of trees or shrubs > [noun] > planted, cultivated, or valued > coppice or grove
hurst822
grove889
wood bough?c1225
wood lay?c1225
wood lind?c1225
wood rise?c1225
spring1396
firth?a1400
berwec1440
spring?c1475
grovet1504
coppice1538
copsewood1543
sherwood1562
hewt1575
copse1578
grove-crop1582
berrie1591
low wood1591
spinney1597
spinet1604
spring wood1607
roughet1616
oart1690
toft1706
under-grove1731
bosket1737
busket1803
1591 W. Garrard & R. Hitchcock Arte of Warre 124 He must..search and go through euery place, noting..the roughnesse of the mountaines, their height and capacitie, if they be naked, clothed with hye or lowe wood, or else plowed and pasture ground.
1699 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 21 116 In the Mountainous as well as dry low Woods, in scarcity of Water, this Reservatory is necessary.
1714 A. Stringer Experienc'd Huntsman 76 The Stag was very old, but it fell out to be where there was some Covert of low Wood.
1799 Coll. Tours Wales 260 The sides were steep, and fringed with low wood.
1845 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. ii. 88 The red maple is a common tenant of low woods and swamps throughout the Atlantic States.
1871 C. Kingsley At Last II. xi. 160 We..rode along the firm sand between the sea and the lagoon, through the low wood of Shore Grape and Mahaut, Pinguin and Swamp Seguine.
1913 Bull. Misc. Information (Royal Bot. Gardens, Kew) 294 A great extent of low wood was traversed which reached its fullest development between 3000 and 4000ft, in the cloud belt.
1995 G. Price Walking Central Ital. Alps 124 There's a climb through low wood thick with purple orchids to the second waterfall.
† low-worm n. Obsolete rare a disease of horses (not identified) described as resembling shingles and causing disturbed behaviour.
ΚΠ
1673 R. Almond Eng. Horsman xxv. 234 This Malender or Low-worm, is so like St. Anthonie's-fire or the Shingles, that I hardly think it distinguishable from either.
1704 Dict. Rusticum Low-worm; is a Disease in Horses, hardly known from the Anthony-Fire, or the Shingles..'tis a Worm that is bread on the back of a Horse..or runs along the Neck to the Brain.
low-yield adj. producing little, giving a low return; spec. designating a nuclear weapon with a relatively low explosive force.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > financial loss > [adjective]
low-yield1929
loss-making1971
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > [adjective] > nuclear > qualities of
clean1956
low-yield1957
strategic1957
tactical1957
small-yield1959
theatre1977
INF1981
1929 Station Bull. 245 (Oregon State Agricultural College) May 6 Yield per acre is a dominant factor in cost, accounting for a difference of approximately 4c per pound between the low-yield and high-yield groups.
1957 Wall St. Jrnl. 25 Jan. 1/3 Only low-yield nuclear tests will be conducted at the Frenchman's Flat Proving Ground.
1959 Times 20 Oct. 19/3 Substantial two-way business in industrial shares partly reflected switching out of low-yield shares into higher yielding second rankers.
1999 D. Haslam Manchester, Eng. 253 Low-yield warheads..can be more discriminating, if planners want to minimize civilian casualties.
2006 D. M. Nielsen & G. L. Nielsen in D. M. Nielsen Pract. Handbk. Environmental Site Characterization (ed. 2) xv. 1048 Two traditional purging and sampling strategies have been used in low-yield wells.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

lowv.1

Brit. /ləʊ/, U.S. /loʊ/
Forms: Old English hlewþ (3rd singular present indicative), Old English hlewð (3rd singular present indicative), Old English hlowan, early Middle English lhouþ (3rd singular present indicative), Middle English lawe (northern), Middle English loe, Middle English louwe, Middle English–1500s loowe, Middle English–1500s lowe, Middle English– low, 1600s lough, 1600s lowgh.
Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Cognate with Old Dutch luoien , luoen (Middle Dutch loeyen , loyen , lujen , Dutch loeien ), Middle Low German lōien , Old High German hluoen , luoen , luogen (Middle High German lüejen ), all in sense ‘(of cattle or oxen) to moo, bellow’, and perhaps also with Icelandic hlóa to roar, bellow (in an isolated attestation, of a stream or waterfall), < the same Indo-European base as ancient Greek κικλήσκειν to call and (with a suffix) classical Latin clāmāre claim v.In Old English apparently a strong verb of Class VII, although no certain strong forms are attested (nor in other older Germanic languages; in later stages, e.g. Middle High German lüejen , the verb is only conjugated weak). The prefixed forms ahlōwan (of cattle) to bellow out (a loud sound) (compare a- prefix1), ongēanhlōwan to resound, echo (compare again- comb. form) are also attested. Earlier currency in sense 2 (and evidence of strong inflection) is perhaps shown by the following example (if the emendation is accepted):OE Cynewulf Elene 54 Hleopon [perhaps read hleowon] hornboran, hreopan friccan, mearh moldan træd.
1.
a. intransitive. Of a cow or other bovine animal: to make its characteristic deep, resonant vocal sound; to moo.In modern use apprehended as denoting a more subdued sound than bellow, being roughly equivalent to moo but somewhat more literary.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > bos taurus or ox > [verb (intransitive)] > make sound
bellowc1000
lowOE
routc1475
boc1487
lout1530
mooc1550
mow1553
booa1555
blart1896
OE Ælfric Gram. (St. John's Oxf.) 129 Bos mugit, oxa hlewð.
OE Ælfric Homily: De Falsis Diis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1968) II. 692 Þa eodan þa iungan cy..to Israhela lande, hlowende swiðe æfter heora cealfum.
a1300 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 13 (MED) Awe bleteþ after lomb, lhouþ after calue cu.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Job vi. 5 Whethir..an oxe shul loowen, whan befor the fulle cracche he shal stonde?
c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn l. 3246 (MED) I woll hym tech..to lowe as doith a Cowe.
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1871) III. 27 Oon of the calfes of golde that Iheroboam made loede scharpely in the natiuite of Heliseus.
1560 Bible (Geneva) Job vi. 5 Doeth the wilde asse braye when he hathe grasse? or loweth the oxe when he hathe foddre?
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §400 It is reported by one of the Ancients, of credit, that a Sacrificed Beast hath lowed, after the Heart hath been severed.
1770 O. Goldsmith Deserted Village 118 The sober herd that lowed to meet their young.
1780 E. Irwin Series Adventures Voy. Red-sea ii. 227 The cattle lowed in the distant dale.
a1807 W. Wordsworth Prelude (1959) viii. 264 The Heifer lows uneasy at the voice Of a new Master.
a1822 P. B. Shelley Homer's Hymn to Mercury xix, in Posthumous Poems (1824) 301 Hermes dragged forth two heifers, lowing loud.
1937 J. Steinbeck Red Pony i. 14 A cow was lowing when he went to sleep.
1946 R. Jeffers Medea ii. 73 Do you think I am a cow lowing after the calf?
2002 C. Knox tr. E. van Heerden Long Silence of Mario Salviati i. v. 26 In the distance she could hear cattle lowing and the shouts of herdsmen.
b. intransitive. Of another animal: to make a deep, resonant vocal sound.
ΚΠ
lOE St. Giles (Corpus Cambr. 303) (1980) 108 Ða stod hio [sc. the hind] æt þæs scræfes dure and ongan to hlowenne æfter þan halgan Egidium swylce hio his helpes bæde.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 153 Also bestes þat were i-woned to lyve among men..fliȝ to hilles and mountayns, lowynge and bletynge.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. cxi. 1260 Þay [sc. sea calves] lowen as a calf and ben þerfore ycleped calues.
1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam 74 Should J heare..a Cat lowgh like an Oxe,..it would scare me.
1729 J. Swift Intelligencer No. 13. 138 Ysbrant Ides..assures us, that he saw Elephants, which were taught to low like Cows.
1833 Casket Apr. 155/2 The dogs have found their voices, and their horses their speed; the stag lows, and the wild boar growls.
1897 tr. F. Nansen Farthest North II. ix. 452 We..could hear them [sc. walruses]..lowing like cows.
1907 M. L. Dames tr. in Pop. Poetry Baloches i. i. 12 Why are your female camels lowing, and why does the milk drip to their hoofs?
1999 R. Deakin Waterlog (2000) xxiv. 254 Seals lowed somewhere in the gloom as I walked..by the harbour at dusk.
2. intransitive. To make a resonant sound reminiscent of that of a cow; esp. to make a long low melancholic sound, to moan.In quot. 1513: (of a cavern) to reverberate with a resonant sound.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry or shout [verb (intransitive)] > roar or bellow
bellOE
roarOE
berec1225
routc1300
romya1325
lowa1382
roungec1390
roupa1425
din1508
roust1513
hurl1530
bellow1603
belvea1794
boo-hoo1825
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Jer. li. 52 In al his lond loowen [L. mugiet] shal the woundid.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. cxxxi. 1388 Þe noice [MS voice] of þe trompe of Turene loweþ in þe eyre.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid iii. x. 36 How cavernis or furnys of Ethna round Rummist and lowit.
a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) 22 No she-priest here lows in a horn.
1780 T. Francklin tr. Lucian Wks. I. 447 We soon heard them lowing in a melancholy tone, and most humbly beseeching us to release their friends.
1833 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 34 964/1 The bagpipes are lowing like the cattle on a thousand hills.
1934 ‘L. G. Gibbon’ Grey Granite i. 56 Far off the foghorn on Crowie Point lowing like an aurochs with belly-ache.
1990 S. Turow Burden of Proof iii. xlix. 502 The woodwinds lowed with lost sounds of the soul.
3. transitive. Of a cow or other bovine animal: to make (a sound) or communicate (something) by lowing. Of a person: to utter or express with a sound resembling or suggestive of the lowing of a cow, esp. by making a long low melancholic sound. Frequently with adverbs, esp. out.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry or shout [verb (transitive)] > roar or bellow
roarc1450
lowa1547
bellow1583
bell1596
rebellow?1611
rout1807
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > bos taurus or ox > [verb (transitive)] > make sound
lowa1547
bellow1868
a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Certain Bks. Aenæis (1557) ii. sig. Bi Like to the sound the roring bull fourth loowes.
1633 J. Fisher Fuimus Troes iv. i. sig. Giv Which Caucasus may as a Catch repeate, And Taurus lough the same.
1644 E. Dering Disc. Proper Sacrifice ciii Others do lough forth the tenour.
1786 H. Boswell et al. Descr. Shelbred Priory in Hist. Descr. Picturesque Views Eng. & Wales No. 21 A Latin inscription,..—a raven answering, In hac Nocte;—a cow lowing out, Ubi?—and lastly a lamb bleating Beth-lam!
1871 G. Meredith Harry Richmond II. xvii. 230 ‘Oh, I thank you!’ I heard the garlanded victim lowing.
1876 ‘A. Thomas’ Blotted Out iii. 27 I shudder under the conviction that she is going to low reproof at me, and so she does.
1900 Improvem. Era July 643 The cows lowed their greeting home.
1933 ‘L. G. Gibbon’ Cloud Howe i. 29 The very trees rose and sniggered it to you, the kye lowed the news from every bit gate.
2007 J. Diaz Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao 153 After a couple of minutes of hysterical sobbing..she lowed out La Inca's name.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

lowv.2

Brit. /ləʊ/, U.S. /loʊ/
Forms: early Middle English laȝhenn ( Ormulum), early Middle English lahe, Middle English laȝe (early or northern), Middle English lagh (northern), Middle English law, Middle English lawe, Middle English lawene (northern, past participle), Middle English lawue (northern), Middle English loewe, Middle English loȝe, Middle English loȝy (south-eastern), Middle English loue, Middle English louȝe, Middle English ylawe (past participle), Middle English–1500s lowe, Middle English– low; also Scottish pre-1700 law, pre-1700 1700s lawe, 1900s– laigh, 2000s– laich. N.E.D. (1903) also records a form 1500s lowen.
Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: low adj.
Etymology: < low adj.
In modern usage chiefly regional.
1.
†a. transitive. To reduce or bring down (esp. a person), with respect to power, status, rank, etc.; to humble, bring low; to abase. Also reflexive. Obsolete.In quot. a1393 intransitive with object implied.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > humility > be humble [verb (intransitive)]
lowc1175
to be of low sail1390
peep1736
to sing small1738
the mind > emotion > humility > make humble [verb (transitive)]
edmodienc1175
lowc1175
meekc1175
lessa1382
abatec1390
abasea1393
belowc1400
meekenc1400
disadvance?c1425
simplec1450
lowlyc1485
humilea1492
chasten1526
to pare the nails ofa1549
lessen1579
vail1582
to take (something) a hole lower1591
destate1615
humblea1616
thorough-humblea1617
humiliate1656
level1712
unnichea1751
to level up, down1791
unpedestal1821
to take the starch out of1830
the mind > emotion > humility > humiliation > humiliate [verb (transitive)]
anitherOE
fellOE
lowc1175
to lay lowc1225
to set adownc1275
snuba1340
meekc1350
depose1377
aneantizea1382
to bring lowa1387
declinea1400
meekenc1400
to pull downc1425
avalec1430
to-gradea1440
to put downc1440
humble1484
alow1494
deject?1521
depress1526
plucka1529
to cut (rarely to cast down) the comb of?1533
to bring down1535
to bring basec1540
adbass1548
diminish1560
afflict1561
to take down1562
to throw down1567
debase1569
embase1571
diminute1575
to put (also thrust) a person's nose out of jointc1576
exinanite1577
to take (a person) a peg lower1589
to take (a person) down a peg (or two)1589
disbasea1592
to take (a person) down a buttonhole (or two)1592
comb-cut1593
unpuff1598
atterr1605
dismount1608
annihilate1610
crest-fall1611
demit1611
pulla1616
avilea1617
to put a scorn on, upon1633
mortify1639
dimit1658
to put a person's pipe out1720
to let down1747
to set down1753
humiliate1757
to draw (a person's) eyeteeth1789
start1821
squabash1822
to wipe a person's eye1823
to crop the feathers of1827
embarrass1839
to knock (also take, etc.) (a person) off his or her perch1864
to sit upon ——1864
squelch1864
to cut out of all feather1865
to sit on ——1868
to turn down1870
to score off1882
to do (a person) in the eye1891
puncture1908
to put (a person) in (also into) his, her place1908
to cut down to size1927
flatten1932
to slap (a person) down1938
punk1963
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 18257 Forr þi þeȝȝ wolldenn niþþrenn crist. & laȝhenn himm þe mare.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13965 Whi wollde godess sune crist..himm sellfenn laȝhenn.
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) 286 (MED) Ha neren nawt ihurt, þah ha weren ilahet.
c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 103 Þench þou nart bote esche, And so þou loȝe þe.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Philipp. ii. 7 He lowyde him silf, takynge the foorme of a seruant.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) viii. l. 587 Now it [sc. Fortune] hiheth, now it loweth.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 302 He schulde louȝe him silf in inward feeling of herte.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xiii. 658 Quhen the kyng eduardis mycht Wes lawit, kyng robert lap on hicht.
a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Trial of Fox l. 942 in Poems (1981) 39 The grit camell..I can him law als lytill as ane mous.
1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Surueyeng xi. f. 21 Highe no man for no hate, ne lowe no man for no loue.
1533 J. Gau tr. C. Pedersen Richt Vay sig. Niv He lawit hime selff and twik apone hime ye schaip of man.
1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing 101 [God] in his Word, is pleas'd to low himself to our capacities.
a1722 J. Lauder Hist. Notices Sc. Affairs (1848) I. 342 The designe was to low him that he might never be the head of a Protestant party.
b. transitive. To lessen, diminish; spec. to reduce (a price or value); to lessen the value of (a coin). Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)]
littleeOE
anitherOE
wanzelOE
lessc1225
slakea1300
littenc1300
aslakec1314
adminisha1325
allayc1330
settle1338
low1340
minisha1382
reprovea1382
abatea1398
rebatea1398
subtlea1398
alaskia1400
forlyten?a1400
imminish14..
lessenc1410
diminish1417
repress?a1425
assuagec1430
scarcec1440
small1440
underslakec1440
alessa1450
debate?c1450
batec1460
decreasec1470
appetisse1474
alow1494
mince1499
perswage?1504
remita1513
inless?1521
attenuate1530
weaken1530
defray1532
mitigate1532
minorate1534
narrow?1548
diminuec1550
extenuate1555
amain1578
exolve1578
base1581
dejecta1586
amoinder1588
faint1598
qualify1604
contract1605
to pull down1607
shrivel1609
to take down1610
disaugment1611
impoverish1611
shrink1628
decoct1629
persway1631
unflame1635
straiten1645
depress1647
reduce1649
detract1654
minuate1657
alloy1661
lower?1662
sinka1684
retreat1690
nip1785
to drive down1840
minify1866
to knock down1867
to damp down1869
scale1887
mute1891
clip1938
to roll back1942
to cut back1943
downscale1945
downrate1958
slim1963
downshift1972
society > trade and finance > money > value of money > [verb (transitive)] > reduce value
lowa1513
embase1551
falsify1562
deprave1581
delay1586
debase1602
descry1602
decry1617
depreciate1656
discredit1721
devalue1918
devalorize1925
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 28 Þet guode los to abatye and hyre guodes to loȝy.
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) II. f. ccxxviv He areryd & lowyd ye coynes & moneys of his lande.
a1525 (?1474) Coventry Leet Bk. (1908) II. 400 Right so as talowe highegh and loweth he to sell his Candels.
a1691 G. Mackenzie Mem. Affairs Scotl. (1821) 31 This new burden..low'd extremely the price of victual.
a1700 in J. Bruce Descr. Zetland (1908) 19 [The varying land valuation] heightens or lows a mark & two parts of a mark of butter for each penny.
1793 T. Scott Poems 338 To lawe their price they will be sorry, Ae single doit.
1807 J. Ruickbie Wayside Cottager 178 Dog-officers may low their pensions, Since Venie's dead.
1987 R. B. Browne in M. W. Fishwick & R. B. Browne God Pumpers 190 Have the Roberts-Bakker affairs shamed them, tainted this kind of huckstering in religion, and lowed the value of their stock on the Heavenly Stock Exchange?
†c. transitive. To disparage, belittle. Also: to discredit. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disrepute > damage to reputation > detract from [verb (transitive)] > bring discredit on or bring into disrepute
unworthyc1230
alosea1325
low1340
ensclaundre1389
foulc1390
disparagea1400
deface1529
depress1550
discredit?1550
ignoblec1590
redound1591
reproach1593
blame1596
nullify1603
scandal1606
sinka1616
even1625
explode1629
disrepute1649
disrepute1651
lese1678
rogue1678
reflect1769
disconsider1849
dispraise1879
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disrepute > damage to reputation > disparagement or depreciation > disparage or depreciate [verb (transitive)]
littleeOE
low1340
dispraisec1386
minish1402
deroge1427
detractc1449
descryc1450
detrayc1475
dismerit1484
decline1509
vilipend1509
disprize?1518
disable1528
derogatea1530
elevate1541
disparagea1556
detrect1563
debase1565
demerit1576
vilify1586
disgrace1589
detracta1592
besparage1592
enervate1593
obtrect1595
extenuate1601
disvalue1605
disparagon1610
undervalue1611
avile1615
debaucha1616
to cry down1616
debate1622
decry1641
atomize1645
underrate1646
naucify1653
dedignify1654
stuprate1655
de-ample1657
dismagn1657
slur1660
voguec1661
depreciate1666
to run down1671
baffle1674
lacken1674
sneer1706
diminish1712
substract1728
down1780
belittle1789
carbonify1792
to speak scorn of1861
to give one a back-cap1903
minoritize1947
mauvais langue1952
rubbish1953
down-talk1959
marginalize1970
marginate1970
trash1975
neg1987
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 136 (MED) Þe misziggeres..arereþ þet quead an loȝeþ þet guod.
c1450 tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Lyfe Manhode (Cambr.) (1869) 66 (MED) Thilke that in the shethe hadde it..was preysed and hyed, And that oother..was lowed [Fr. fu abessie].
c1480 (a1400) St. Katherine 167 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 447 Catone forbad his sowne..To law hyme-self or lof gretly.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 180 Gif j be a kirk man, j suld nocht law–the preuilege of the kirk.
a1550 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Wemyss) viii. l. 2354 Maister Baldred..Be euidentis þat he þare schawit..maid þat tyrandis taill full lawit.
†d. intransitive. Of a sin: to be treated as of little significance; to be made light of. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 49 (MED) Þis zenne an-heȝeþ and loȝeþ be þe stat of þe persones þet hit doþ.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 49 (MED) Þe ilke zenne [sc. incest] arist and loȝeþ be þet þe kenrede is nyeȝ oþer uer.
†e. transitive. Scottish. To put an end to (a condition or state of affairs). Also intransitive: to stop work or activity; to cease. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease activity [verb (intransitive)] > specifically of things, actions, or processes
restOE
leathc1275
stintc1275
slakea1300
ceasec1374
slocka1400
batec1400
lissec1400
stanchc1420
surcease1439
remain1480
stopa1529
break1530
decease1538
falla1555
to shut up1609
subside1654
drop1697
low1790
to go out1850
1790 A. Shirrefs Poems 219 The merry fowks that were the ben, By this time 'gan to low their strain.
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) He never lows frae morning till night.
2.
a. transitive. To put or set in a lower position; to lower the height or level of. Now regional.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > lower or let down
abeyOE
fellOE
to let down1154
lowc1330
vailc1330
revalec1475
to let fallc1500
bate1530
stoop1530
down1595
fall1595
embase1605
dismount1609
lower1626
sink1632
prostratea1718
c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 5167 And no hadde Wawain þer o fot ylawe He hadde þer þe king yslawe.
1463 in S. Tymms Wills & Inventories Bury St. Edmunds (1850) 39 To lowe ye grownd that the dore may be of a resonnable heyghte.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin xxii. 397 (MED) Than he lowed his spere and smote ffrolle.
1639 in C. Innes Fasti Aberdonenses (1854) 415 The southe window in the gawell to be made fairer by lawing the sol therof, and so making it larger in light.
1647 R. B. True & Full Relation Sea Fight 4 The reason of the fight was, the Swedish ships Wore flags,..which they refused to take in, or to low their top-sales.
1691 Cramond Kirk Session III. 29 Oct. in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue (1983) V. 891/2 [The seats] are to be raised or lowed for better sight & hearing.
1701 J. Brand Brief Descr. Orkney, Zetland 10 The Wind growing more vehement, we lowed our Mainsail, and took in a Riff.
1765 ‘Claudero’ Poems Several Occasions (new ed.) 57 This fierce Cock-sparrow..hung his wings around her tail, On which the Goose did low her sail.
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) Nif he's too high, can low un a bit.
1899 Shetland News 6 May 7/3 I see ye're gotten a new sail... Dat'll be somtin ta hise an' low wi' a ütterly breeze.
2015 I. Nimmo White in Lallans 86 60 This [dam] laiched the Loch and mauned the shot o the River; the ootcome bein less fludin.
b. intransitive. To become lower. Now Bahamian.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (intransitive)] > lower
lowc1400
lower1769
c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 5737 (MED) Þe sonne loweþ and west helt.
c1450 in F. J. Furnivall Hymns to Virgin & Christ (1867) 120 Euery hylle Shalle lowe, valeys For to Fylle.
1966 D. J. Crowley I could talk Old-story Good 65 Where you cross the water..you got to say ‘Low, tide, low!’ for to get a pass.
1982 J. A. Holm & A. W. Shilling Dict. Bahamian Eng. (at cited word) The tide lowing.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

'lowv.3

Brit. /laʊ/, U.S. /laʊ/
Forms: Middle English loouwe, Middle English loue, Middle English lu (northern), Middle English–1500s lowe, Middle English– low, 1600s– 'low, 1800s– lou (English regional (southern)).
Origin: Probably of multiple origins. Probably partly a borrowing from French. Probably partly a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: French louer ; allow v.
Etymology: Probably partly < Middle French louer, loer (French louer ) to praise (2nd half of the 10th cent. in Old French), to approve (1246 in legal use), to recommend (mid 14th cent.), to be in favour of, approve of (2nd half of the 14th cent.) < classical Latin laudāre laud v., and partly aphetic < allow v.; compare later low n.4, lowance n.Some of the forms given here coincide with spellings of love v.2; the two verbs share several senses in common, and may have been confused with one another in early use. Compare similarly lowable adj., lowing n.4 Earlier currency may be implied by the following example, which appears to show the past participial adjective loude used as a noun (in the plural, with the ) in sense ‘approved or accepted people as a class, i.e. the saved’ (compare allowed adj. 3):c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 104 Ase he [sc. God] wyþ-stent þe prouden, And myld[en] grace sent To libbe a-mang þe louden, Wenne oþere beþ ischent.
Now chiefly regional and nonstandard.
transitive. = allow v. (in various senses).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > acquisition > receiving > receive [verb (transitive)] > accept
onfangeOE
fangOE
to take with ——lOE
takec1175
understandc1200
afangc1275
receivec1330
accepta1382
'lowa1382
except1393
to take up1570
to take a person up on (something)1807
to take up1810
society > authority > lack of subjection > permission > permit [verb (transitive)]
thave835
unneeOE
levec897
forletc900
i-thavec900
i-unneeOE
allowa1393
licensec1400
admit1418
sustainc1425
usea1450
permit1473
permise1481
withganga1500
tolerate1533
intermit?c1550
licentiate1575
'low1587
dispense1646
beholdc1650
warrant1662
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Wisd. iii. 6 As brent sacrifise of ost he loouwede them [L. accepit eos].
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Coll. Phys.) l. 20034 Þu mi wille me al wil lu [Vesp. a-lou].
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 4532 A foolis word is nought to trowe Ne worth an appel forto lowe.
a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 235 (MED) The knyȝt hadde noon Excusacion, ne wolde not lowe him selfe.
1587 G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 70v He lowde him scope, without suspect of ill.
1609 S. Daniel Civile Wares (rev. ed.) viii. lxvi. 220 Least they [sc. her looks] should 'low More then her heart might meane.
1718 in R. Renwick Extracts Rec. Stirling (1889) II. 157 Unless the said society..shall hereafter think fitt to low the said entry as to the children [etc.].
1874 E. Eggleston Circuit Rider i. 14 He ‘'low'd they was a heap sight more corn’.
1880 Scribner's Mag. June 293 I 'lowed I'd make him sorry fur it, an' I reckon I hev.
1911 G. Stratton-Porter Harvester xvi. 367 She 'lowed to make him a big man.
1948 G. V. Galwey Lift & Drop iv. 65 Wind's backed four points... We've got to 'low for it.
1958 J. M. Brewer Dog Ghosts 124 Dem what knowed 'im 'lowed dat he done been shot thirteen times an' cut twenny-seven times durin' of his lifetime.
2011 J. M. White Scarlet White i. 18 ‘Now, now, Miss Lizzy,’ Sarah comforted, ‘you didn't 'low nothin'. These things jes' happen.’
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

lowadv.

Brit. /ləʊ/, U.S. /loʊ/
Forms: see low adj. and n.2
Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: low adj.
Etymology: < low adj. Compare Middle Dutch lage , adverb. Compare lowly adv.
1.
a. To a low place, position, or point. Chiefly with verbs of motion.to search high and low and similar: see high and low at high adv. Phrases 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adverb] > in downward direction > in a low direction
lowc1225
c1225 (?c1200) St. Margaret (Royal) (1934) 35 Þe engles..seoð ham lihten swa lah of so swiðe heh.
a1300 Passion our Lord 8 in R. Morris Old Eng. Misc. (1872) 37 He þet is and euer wes in heuene myd his fadere Ful lowe he alyhte.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 798 Loȝe he loutez hem to, Loth, to þe grounde.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 2289 (MED) ‘Mi louely lorde,’ quod þe lede & law him declines.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 739/2 Stryke lowe, stryke, lachez jusques a terre.
1611 Bible (King James) Deut. xxviii. 43 Thou shalt come downe very low . View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) iii. ii. 143 Oh sir, I did not looke so low.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 81 With what compulsion and laborious flight We sunk thus low ? View more context for this quotation
1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World xii. 383 We ought..to..bream as low as we could to destroy the worm.
1751 C. Labelye Descr. Westm. Bridge 40 We easily mastered what Leakage we had, and pumped the Water low enough..for the Masons to set and cramp the Stones.
1792 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) II. 629 I'll set me down and sing and spin, While laigh descends the simmer sun.
1842 T. B. Macaulay Battle Lake Regillus in Lays Anc. Rome 123 So answered those strange horsemen, And each couched low his spear.
1871 ‘M. Legrand’ Cambr. Freshman 129 The Captain was ‘a fellow who smokes his cigars very low’.
1915 J. Farnol Beltane the Smith lxii. 474 ‘Aim low, archers!’ squealed small Prat, and forthwith the battle joined.
1951 G. Greene Lost Childhood 180 They stoop low, slipping between the tables.
2005 J. Fredston Snowstruck v. 137 With a nod from the pilot, we bent low to avoid the guillotine of the revolving rotors.
b. In a low position; relatively close to the ground or another downward limit; at a low altitude.Often overlapping with or difficult to distinguish from the adjective in use as the complement of a verb; cf. low adj. 2a, and idiomatic phrases of the adjective, such as to lay (something) low, to lie low, and similar.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > lack of height > [adverb]
lowa1398
squatly1894
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. xii. 1143 Þe bees þat..bereþ what is nedeful dredeþ blastes of wynde. And fleeþ þerfore lowe by þe grounde.
a1640 J. Day Parl. Bees (1641) sig. E1v The greater number of spawne feathered Bees Fly low like Kites.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. at Liberty Care must be taken not to make the liberty too high, lest it..make the horse carry low [cf. carry v. 32c].
1848 C. Kingsley Saint's Trag. iv. iii. 201 A long dim formless fog-bank creeping low.
1883 Chambers's Jrnl. 29 Sept. 616/1 They left the cove, crawling low among the rocks, and within twenty yards found the object of their search—a cave in the sea-wall.
1930 Daily Express 6 Oct. 3/4 The airship, flying too low, struck the brow of the hill, not with her nose, but about midships.
2010 R. Aaron Spirit Eater 169 Eli crept low in the dark, keeping as silent as he could.
c. With the feet lifted only a short distance from the ground. Chiefly in to dance low, to gallop low. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > dancing > style or manner of dancing > [verb (intransitive)]
frisk?1520
hobble1535
caper1598
to cut a caper or capersa1616
to dance Barnaby1664
to dance low1667
jig1672
to fike and flinga1689
shuffle1819
slow-step1909
dingolay1935
touch-dance1972
headbang1977
to funk out1979
to strut one's funky stuff1979
krump2004
1667 Duke of Newcastle New Method to dress Horses i. 53 He Trots like a Cow, and Gallops low, and no Action in any of those Actions.
1783 H. Swinburne Trav. in Two Sicilies I. vi. 60 Persons of all ranks here [i.e. in Naples] dance very low, but mark the time as perfectly with their steps, as other nations do by springing from the ground.
1833 R. Lawrence Compl. Farrier 308/2 The English thorough-bred horse, on the contrary, gallops low... This style of galloping is much better adapted for speed.
1939 Jrnl. Eng. Folk Dance Soc. No. 3. 6 The Basse Danse is so called because it is danced low, i.e. with a walking step.
2.
a. To a poor or unfortunate condition; esp. to a less worthy or reputable position. Also: to a less refined or sophisticated position or condition.
ΚΠ
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) l. 342 (MED) Nu þu art iweddet & of se heh se lahe iliht, of englene ilicnesse..into flesches fulðe.
a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 68 Lord, merci, rewe me now; reyse vp þat ys falle lowe [v.r. lawe]!
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iv. l. 1036 In high astat it is a vice To go to lowe, and in service It grieveth forto go to hye.
a1450 Pater Noster Richard Ermyte (Westm. Sch. 3) (1967) 50 (MED) Euer þe hiȝer he clymbeþ, & for vnwarschip his feet hym fayle, þe sarrer & þe lower nedely he falliþ.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Knychthede (1993) vii. 43 Auarice is a vice yat gerris oft tymes the curage of mony noble knycht descend full lawe.
a1530 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection (1531) i. f. xvv Anone they depresse hym as lowe in mysery & wretchednes.
1638 R. Baker tr. J. L. G. de Balzac New Epist. II. 21 When I see the sonne of the great Cecile let downe his spirits so low as to mine.
?1701 P. A. Motteux Poem in Praise of Tea 3 How low, cry'd he, in quaffing are we sunk!
1781 W. Cowper Expostulation 547 Verse cannot stoop so low as thy desert.
1805 Morning Chron. 31 Oct. He never descended so low as to steal pint-pots and door-scrapers.
1871 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) IV. xviii. 208 Had the royal power ever fallen as low in England as it fell in Germany and Italy.
1920 Railroad Telegrapher June 800/1 If any of the employees stoop low enough to do so, they need not expect any sympathy from their local or division officials.
1961 E. Waugh Unconditional Surrender (1964) iii. iil. 203 Very few of the great masters of trash aimed low to start with.
2003 D. Levithan Boy meets Boy 16 ‘You think Trilby Pope would stoop that low?’ I ask. ‘Is the Pope shrewish? Of course she would stoop that low.’
b. In a poor or unfortunate condition; humbly, meekly. Also: on a poor or basic diet.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > humility > [adverb]
edmodlichec1175
meeklyc1175
low1340
lowlyc1350
humblyc1374
humilyc1380
meeka1382
poorlyc1385
benignlyc1386
lowlily1415
sheep-like1582
demissly1598
squire-like1608
demissively1622
forma pauperisa1627
under favour1699
daftly1724
abasedly1830
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > [adverb]
beneathc1000
low1340
meanlya1500
baselya1529
above (or below, beneath, under) the salt1597
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 138 (MED) He loueþ pouerte, þet zet þe herte loȝe.
c1450 (c1375) G. Chaucer Anelida & Arcite (Fairf. 16) (1878) l. 95 For in her sight to her he bare hym low.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 1012 (MED) Lord, with ȝoure leue we lawe ȝow be-sechis.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 449/2 I beare lowe, I behave my selfe humbly, je me humilie.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) iv. vii. 20 That I may conquer Fortunes spight, By liuing low, where Fortune cannot hurt me [etc.] . View more context for this quotation
1758 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 5 Sept. (1932) (modernized text) V. 2320 Live cool for a time, and rather low.
1832 Ld. Houghton Let. 14 Jan. in T. W. Reid Life Ld. Houghton (1890) I. iii. 122 The doctor here tells me that I..must live very low while I remain at Rome.
1918 Jrnl. Amer. Vet. Med. Assoc. 53 654 In the last three years I could cite a dozen outbreaks of hemorrhagic septicemia in cattle fed low.
2001 Amer. Alpine Jrnl. 43 432 Living low and living large. The climbers' life is a great tapestry with many threads.
3. With reference to singing, music, etc.: at a low or deep pitch, using low notes. With reference to speech or sound in general: in a quiet tone or voice; softly, quietly. Cf. low adj. 17.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > thing heard > [adverb] > pitch > low pitch
lowc1275
deep1810
deeply1883
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > faintness or weakness > [adverb] > without much noise
stilla1225
lowc1275
softc1275
stilledlyc1275
softlyc1330
fairly?a1425
basely1562
piano piano1601
smally1611
pacatelya1652
impercussively1694
pianissimoc1710
deftly1787
suppressedly1825
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > quality of voice > [adverb] > pleasant > soft and gentle
lowc1275
softc1300
c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) l. 1456 (MED) Ich singe mid heom one þroȝe, Biginne on heh & endi laȝe.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 2079 Speke y loude, or spek y lowe, þou shalt ful wel heren me.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 717 Summe high and summe eke lowe songe.
a1450 Musical Treat. in Speculum (1935) 10 261 (MED) And yf þe plain-song be-gynne low, þan þu shalt be-gynne þi counter in a vnisoun with þe plain-song, þe whech is a 5te aboue þe plain-song in sight.
1544 T. Phaer tr. J. Goeurot Regiment of Lyfe (new ed.) iii. f. xxv Fyrste for horcenes of the voyce, & makest a man to speke lowe, and with great peine ye muste auoyde al egre salte, and sharpe thinges.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) ii. iii. 40 O stay and heare, your true loues coming, That can sing both high and low . View more context for this quotation
1663 S. Pepys Diary 1 Mar. (1971) IV. 63 He read his sermon..so brokenly and so low that nobody could hear at any distance.
1713 J. Addison Cato v. iv. 59 Lucia, speak low, he is retired to rest.
1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 76/2 You say, the writer read the bond low: was it so low that you could not hear what was said?
1819 P. B. Shelley Rosalind & Helen 16 I sate with a hard and tearless eye,..Low muttering o'er his loathed name.
1836 Harvardiana Dec. 145 There was barely light enough to discover the flitting of figures to and fro upon the stage, and the music played low, and only at intervals.
1856 A. Marsh Evelyn Marston I. i. 9 The wind howls low and mournfully around the chimneys.
1893 R. L. Stevenson Catriona ii. 20 Ye tell me ye're a Whig: I wonder what I am. No Whig to be sure; I couldnae be just that. But—laigh in your ear, man—I'm maybe no very keen on the other side.
1908 R. E. Knowles Web of Time xxvi. 304 ‘Your father's living,’ she whispered low.
1970 Farmer's Weekly 16 Dec. 50 Among the sweet-thorns which lined the river, a dove sang low.
1993 D. Coyle Hardball iii. v. 146 Bill leaned over and spoke low, so the other players would not hear.
4. In comparative expressions relating to time: at a relatively recent date; relatively close to the present day. Cf. low adj. 19. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > newness or novelty > recency > [adverb]
neweneOE
newlyeOE
unyoreeOE
noweOE
newOE
lateOE
yesterdaya1300
freshlya1387
of newa1393
anewa1425
newlingsa1425
latewardc1434
the other dayc1450
lately?c1475
erst1480
latewards1484
sith late1484
alatea1500
recently1509
even now1511
late-whiles1561
late ygo1579
formerly1590
just now1591
lastly1592
just1605
low1610
this moment1696
latewardly1721
shortsyne1768
sometime1779
latterly1821
1610 T. Morton Encounter against M. Parsons i. v. 59 And Coster in the words following descendeth as lowe as Pope Damasus, who was no Martyr.
1658 Sir T. Browne Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall i. 4 As low as the Reign of Julian, we finde that [etc.].
1710 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1889) III. 45 The IId. vol. of his Church History of Britain..is to come as low as King Charles IId.
1734 J. Swift Reasons against Settling Tyth of Hemp 17 The Clergy had the sole Right of taxing themselves..as low as the Restoration.
1774 T. Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry I. x. 314 This alliterative measure..remained in use so low as the sixteenth century.
1841 H. J. Stephen New Comm. Laws Eng. I. 62 These reached as low as the time of Pope Alexander III.
1875 Trans. Amer. Philol. Assoc. 1874 86 Diogenes probably flourished at the close of the second century after Christ, and is by some placed as low as the time of Constantine.
1916 J. T. Thorburn Mythical Interpr. Gospels xv. 307 Much must depend on the date of the Apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. Maury and Cooper would place it as low as the fifth century; but Tischendorf with greater probability would refer it to the second.
5. So as to underestimate the true worth of something; at a lower level than what is accurate.
ΚΠ
1690 J. Child Disc. Trade ix. 138 The rates of the customs are in no kind proportionable, our own Commodities being some rated very low, as Drapery, Silk-Wares, Haberdashery.
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. To underrate, to rate too low.
1897 Amer. Stationer 3 June 879/1 The petition alleges..that CA Rohde appraised the stock very low and then bought large quantities of the stock..on the basis of his own appraisal.
1900 Longman's Mag. Dec. 98 You value yourself too low.
1998 T. Fleming Wages of Fame iii. v. 172 Johnny, you're rating your powers much too low.

Phrases

†P1. to breed (a person) low: to educate in an inferior way, or to a lower standard. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > teaching > [verb (transitive)] > teach patronizingly
to breed (a person) low1673
schoolmarm1903
1673 B. Makin Ess. to revive Antient Educ. Gentlewomen 3 The Barbarous custom to breed Women low, is grown general amongst us, and hath prevailed so far, that it is verily believed..that Women are not endued with such Reason, as Men.
P2. to play low: to play or gamble for stakes of a small amount; (also) to play a card of low value. Cf. to play high at high adv. Phrases 4.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > play games of chance [verb (intransitive)] > stake > type of stake
to play high1640
butter1671
set up one's rest1680
to play low1735
paroli1835
to go one's pile1836
to go nap1894
parlay1895
double up1940
1735 Select Trials Old-Bailey II. 145/1 I said, let us play low. Some Words past between the Prisoner and Mr. Hawkins. I laid down three Half-Crowns.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xxix. 251 What the deuce, man, are you alarmed about? We play low; I won last night. You don't suppose Crawley cheats?
1897 G. Allen Afr. Millionaire x. 255 We played low at first. The poet seldom staked; and when he did—a few pounds—he lost.
1929 F. Hackett Henry VIII ii. 51 He had played low, and lost. Angry with the cunning Ferdinand, he now decided to play high.
1979 J. Nicholson How to play Solo (rev. ed.) 17 If the person on your right leads the suit, you have to play low.
2003 K. Lederer Poker Face xiv. 155 I could never figure out why Joe played low. His skills at the table were, if not flawless, then at least profitable, and he should have moved up long before.

Compounds

C1.
a. With participial adjectives. Cf. low adj. and n.2 Compounds 2b.
low-bellowing adj.
ΚΠ
1727 J. Thomson Summer 36 A hollow Moan Proceeding, runs low-bellowing round the Hills.
1827 J. Montgomery Pelican Island vi. 89 On the heedless buffalo he sprang, Dragg'd the low-bellowing monster to his lair.
2003 Daily News (N.Y.) (Nexis) 9 Mar. 6 After an exercise, you get a drum roll followed by cheers if you do well and a low-bellowing boo if you don't.
low-bended adj. chiefly poetic
ΚΠ
1597 Bp. J. Hall Virgidemiarum: 1st 3 Bks. ii. iii. 34 The crowching Client, with low-bended knee..Tels on his tale.
a1777 F. Fawkes tr. Apollonius Rhodius Argonautics (1780) iii. 205 These o'er the bulls' low-bended necks he flung.
1961 W. C. Beller Theomachia 188 Legions of slaves, low-bended, Obey them and sound their praise.
low-bent adj.
ΚΠ
1633 J. Ford Broken Heart iii. i. sig. G2 With low-bent thoughts Accusing such presumption.
1730 J. Thomson Winter in Seasons 195 The low-bent clouds Pour flood on flood.
1910 E. B. Bronson In Closed Territory vii. 109 Until they rose out of the grass at your feet and dodged away at express speed, with low-bent heads all hidden from your sight in the grass.
2008 Outlook (New Delhi) 28 July 71 Those low-bent postures with far parted legs.
low-bowed adj.
ΚΠ
1612 I. M. tr. Most Famous Hist. Meruine i. xxx. 185 The not mistrusting Gaoler, with lowe bowed reuerence, tolde her, he would performe her pleasure.
1872 A. T. de Vere Arraignment in Legends St. Patrick 206 Ceasing, he stood Low-bowed, with hands upon his bosom held.
2001 N. Griffiths Sheepshagger 88 The prowling host of hulking low-bowed shapes which slide out of the mountain darkness.
low-branching adj.
ΚΠ
1786 J. Abercrombie Gardeners Daily Assistant 98 Make layers—of any low-branching shrubby..house plants.
1879 A. W. Tourgée Fool's Errand xliv. 326 She did not quite relish the idea of his bursting away through the low-branching second-growth to follow the pack.
1992 Harrowsmith Aug. 73/2 Another undervalued shade tree is the American yellowwood..notable for the deep, cool shade cast by its dense, low-branching limbs.
low-couched adj.
ΚΠ
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. f. 201/2 So the two knights came a fote eche agaynst other rudely, with their speares lowe couched, to stryke eche other within the foure quarters.
1757 J. Dyer Fleece iv. 150 Proud Buenos Aires, low-couched Paraguay.
2006 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 14 Sept. 18 In the Brahms work, Laussade kept her power muted.., making way for Knighton's low-couched melody line in moments of rhythmic intensity.
low-creeping adj.
ΚΠ
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Apol. Poetrie (1595) sig. I2 The excellencies of it, may be so easily..confirmed, & the low-creeping obiections, so soone troden downe.
1818 J. Keats Endymion i. 15 Low creeping strawberries.
2007 S. Hill Fandango 213 In areas where we walk, he has planted low-creeping varieties.
low-crooked adj. rare
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) iii. i. 43 Low-crooked-curtsies, and base Spaniell fawning. View more context for this quotation
1903 F. C. Williams Captain xxvii. 281 Standing under one of the low-crooked boughs of the apple-trees.
† low-declined adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. M1v May my pure mind with the fowle act dispence My low declined Honor to aduance?
?1883 J. A. Coupland Paris & Helen 43 Thus wise Ulysses argued, while the king, With folded arms and low-declinèd head Unto his just advice stood listening.
† low-delved adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1673 J. Milton On Death Fair Infant v, in Poems (new ed.) 19 Hid from the world in a low delved tombe.
1756 Monthly Rev. Apr. 353 From high-arch'd roofs his raised voice rebounds, To the low delved vaults, where gradually it dies.
1867 Ladies' Treasury 2 Dec. 548/2 We may believe that the low-delved, or half-underground houses must be those only of Troglodyte savages.
low-drooping adj.
ΚΠ
1598 F. Rous Thule ii. sig. T3v The Sunne arose with his low drooping carre, To see (though grieu'd to see) that wofull sight.
1728 J. Thomson Spring 36 Her Pinions..low-drooping scarce Can bear the Mourner to the Poplar Shade.
1977 G. R. R. Martin Dying of Light ii. 53 She moved her shoulders in a tiny weary shrug and rested her forearm on a low-drooping limb.
low-dropping adj.
ΚΠ
1735 W. Somervile Chace i. 251 Strait Hams..And his low-dropping Chest confess his Speed.
1921 D. H. Lawrence Tortoises 34 The low-dropping back-board of her shell.
2005 M. Sefton Knit One, Kill Two vii. 95 Steve connected on Lisa's first pitch, a low-dropping slider that seemed to hang over the plate, just waiting for Steve to hit it.
low-flowing adj.
ΚΠ
1830 Ld. Tennyson Mermaid in Poems 29 I would fling on each side my lowflowing locks.
1904 Gulf States Hist. Mag. Mar. 390 The priest and merchant went down the low-flowing river, which parted to cast up..wide sand-bars.
1999 Nature Conservancy Mar. 34/2 A record-breaking cold snap literally froze wintering trumpeter swans in the low-flowing river.
low-folded adj.
ΚΠ
1864 Ld. Tennyson Aylmer's Field in Enoch Arden, etc. 82 A breathless burthen of low-folded heavens.
1898 Hearth & Home 7 July 358/1 The spangled piece will be enough to make a low-folded bodice with decolletage trimming.
2009 R. N. MacKenzie tr. G. Flaubert Madame Bovary i. viii. 44 Their necks turned smoothly in low-folded cravats.
low-going adj.
ΚΠ
1854 M. A. Lower Contrib. to Lit. 172 The Combe,..near Lewes (whose deep recess the low-going wintry sun hardly visits—its shortest day being briefer than that of Iceland).
1982 Giant Bk. Electronics Projects iii. 144 Output is a train of 24 millisecond low-going pulses.
low-growing adj.
ΚΠ
1611 A. Lanyer Salue Deus Rex Iudæorum sig. H2v That Oake that did in height his fellowes passe, As much as lofty trees, low growing grasse.
1768 J. Gibson Fruit-gardener i. vi. 58 Whatever good kinds of fruit-trees are obtained in suckers, may be placed in such parts of plans as require low growing trees.
1877 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 326 Masses of low-growing plants.
2005 Gardenlife Oct. 43/1 This lovely low-growing sedum is perfect at the front of a border.
low-hung adj.
ΚΠ
1667 J. Dryden Indian Emperour i. ii. 6 Low hung clouds that dipt themselves in rain.
1830 Ld. Tennyson Ode to Memory iv, in Poems 62 What time the amber morn Forth gushes from beneath a lowhung cloud.
1916 D. H. Lawrence Amores 104 The low-hung lamps stretched down the road..as I hastened to meet The low-hung light of her eyes.
2007 Esquire Feb. 105/1 Low batties, low-hung trousers.
low-placed adj.
ΚΠ
1668 J. Dryden Secret-love v. i. 56 You teach me to repent my low-plac'd love.
1865 F. Boyle Dyaks of Borneo i. 26 The Dyaks..are far from being low-placed in the scale of humanity.
1986 R. Pollack Teach yourself Fortune Telling i. 30 A low-placed thumb can go too far in the opposite direction, signifying someone who is overly generous.
low-prized adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > low price or rate > [adjective] > cheap
light?a1400
vile?1490
cheap1517
low-prized1600
druggish1701
popular1830
low-priced1842
underpriced1861
bargain basement1899
low-budget1918
Woolworth1931
Woolworthian1933
pipe-rack1956
budget1958
cheapo1967
pound shop1989
1600 Looke about You sig. A4 The children of a low-priz'd wretch.
1727 D. Defoe Syst. Magick i. ii. 44 The low-priz'd Learning of the magicians answer'd very well.
1867 R. W. Emerson May-day & Other Pieces 49 The stalwart churls in overalls..are the doctors of the wilderness, And we the low-prized laymen.
2008 Racing Post (Nexis) 24 Mar. 4 Who is winning all the low-prized maidens at the all-weather meetings?
low-ranking adj.
ΚΠ
1893 J. L. Hall tr. Beowulf 10 A hero in armor; No low-ranking fellow adorned with his weapons, But launching them little.
1958 W. J. H. Sprott Human Groups ix. 152 The less popular members of the consistently low-ranking teams did not change their allegiance.
2007 Big Issue 6 Aug. 19 (caption) A child from the low-ranking Dalit caste watches his mother unload rocks from a truck.
low-rolling adj.
ΚΠ
1775 Caledoniad I. 153 Now, in the western skies, low-rolling, red, Bright Phœbus shines upon the daisy'd mead.
1826 H. H. Milman Anne Boleyn 162 Ha! thou low-rolling doubling drum—I hear thee!
2001 A. B. Stahl Making Hist. Banda (2004) iii. 47 A Gold Coast Geological Survey stressed the scarcity of water in the low-rolling hills.
† low-roosted adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1637 J. Milton Comus 12 Ere morrow wake, or the low-roosted larke From her thach't palate rowse.
low-set adj.
ΚΠ
1614 T. Overbury et al. Characters in Wife now Widdow (4th impr.) sig. E4 He..raiseth the low-set roofe of his crosse-legged Fortune.
1762 A. Dickson Treat. Agric. ii. v. 172 As the wrist is wide and low set, the furrow is wide.
1966 Weekly News (N.Z.) 1 June 40 Australian terrier..a low-set, compact, active little dog which may be silver-grey with tan markings, or sandy.
1991 Independent 5 Jan. 33/4 Five minutes behind the low-set steering wheel and well-ordered dash is enough for one to appreciate that the designers were also serious drivers.
low-sunk adj.
ΚΠ
1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 99 Slow Nile with low-sunke streames shall keepe his braies.
1798 Monthly Visitor May 81 The evening was calm and serene, Low sunk was the sun.
1985 J. Irving Cider House Rules v. 208 If Dr. Larch had been sitting at the desk, at the typewriter, he would have towered over the assistant in his low-sunk chair.
low-taxed adj.
ΚΠ
1742 E. Young Complaint: Night the Third 33 Slender Tributes low-taxt Nature pays, For mighty Gain.
1897 Country Life Illustr. 11 Dec. 648/2 The thinly-populated, low-rented, and low-taxed virgin soils of our own colonies.
2007 Daily Tel. 28 Sept. 27/3 The continued use of red diesel, a low-taxed heavy oil, currently sold at 30–35 pence per litre.
low-trailing adj.
ΚΠ
1739 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. II. At Teucrium Teucrium Hispanicum..Low trailing Spanish Germander, with Leaves like the narrow-leav'd Vervain.
1820 P. B. Shelley Vision of Sea in Prometheus Unbound 174 The low-trailing rack of the tempest.
2010 G. Bucsis & B. Somerville Training your Pet Ferret (ed. 2) 95 Remove any low-trailing branches.
low-trained adj.
ΚΠ
1849 Cottage Gardener 2 134/2 We noted as good, in his collection, a low-trained Azalea variegata.
1915 S. T. Maynard Landscape Gardening 221 When planted in contrast with low-trained golden cornel or willow..very beautiful results are often obtained.
2010 M. Allen Future Makers vii.154 The relatively close-planted (4500 vines/hectare), low-trained vineyard..produces edgy, intensely flavoured wines.
b.
† low-cast adj. Obsolete (a) that has been cast down or laid low; (b) (of a valley) deep.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > valley > [adjective] > deep
low-cast1602
1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida i. sig. B2v The Venetian Duke is heaued vp On wings of faire successe, to ouer-looke The low cast ruines of his enemies.
1616 W. Browne Britannia's Pastorals II. v. 119 A low-cast Valley.
low-cut adj. that is cut low; spec. (a) (of footwear) cut below the ankle; (b) (of women's clothing) cut so as to reveal the neck and (usually) the upper part of the breasts.
ΚΠ
a1600 T. Deloney Gentle Craft (1627) x. sig. F4 This man was the first that wrought vpon the low cut shoo, with the square toe, & the latchet ouerthwart th'instep.
1735 J. Dorman Rake of Taste 3 Their low cut Stays th'enchanting Bosom show, And give a Sample of the Heav'n below.
1874 Catholic Rec. Dec. 112/2 Crumms answers it [sc. the bell] in full waiter's dress, white tie, dress coat, and a low-cut waistcoat showing a large amount of shirt.
1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. No. 104. 203/3 Men's low cut canvas pumps.
1902 Daily Chron. 17 Jan. 7/6 Their costly, low-cut dresses.
1932 ‘E. M. Delafield’ Thank Heaven Fasting ii. iii. 44 Lady Marlowe, superb..in her low-cut green satin, with an emerald tiara.
1987 Arkansas Democrat-Gaz. (Nexis) 2 June Low-cut slippers with leather heels about one-half inch higher than usual.
2007 K. H. Hemmings Descendants i. vii. 47 Joanie was underdressed in jeans and a white low-cut top.
low-ebbed adj. (a) (of the sea, tide, etc.) that has receded to a low point (also in extended use); (b) (of a person) depressed or lacking in energy; at a low ebb.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > poverty > [adjective] > poor > reduced to poverty
broken-fortuned1362
depauperatea1464
peeled?a1513
extenuate1533
withered1561
penured1570
low-ebbed1595
ruined1596
shredded1596
broken1597
beggared1609
impoverisheda1631
necessitated1646
pinched1672
crazy1700
reduced1715
straitened1716
crazed1732
poverty-struck?1750
poverty-stricken?1786
pauperized1807
poverty-smitten1819
distressed1844
out at elbows1885
poverished1900
wiped1977
1595 E. Hoby tr. L.-V. de La Popelinière Hist. France iv. 246 The Sea being verie low ebbed, hee caused the young Alegre..to bee conducted by Rendan vnto a certaine place of the porte.
1601 J. Marston et al. Iacke Drums Entertainm. ii. sig. C4 Why this same boy's..A lowe ebd gallant.
1734 Surprising Mem. Manupedirus & Stumpanympha 14 Are not thy wasted and paralytick Limbs sufficient Indications of low-ebbed radical Heat and Moisture?
1820 J. Keats Hyperion: a Fragm. ii, in Lamia & Other Poems 174 When the waves Low-ebb'd still hid it up in shallow gloom.
1955 P. Larkin Let. 18 Oct. in Sel. Lett. (1992) 253 I'm really so dull & low-ebbed these days.
1993 Chicago Sun-Times (Nexis) 25 Apr. 17 Those trying times when their daughters are feeling low-ebbed or very elevated and don't care about any maternal or paternal input.
† low-embowed adj. poetic Obsolete rare bent down low.
ΚΠ
1830 Ld. Tennyson Poems 99 Keen knowledges of low-embowèd eld.
† low-fawning adj. Obsolete basely or abjectly fawning.
ΚΠ
1633 J. Ford Loves Sacrifice v. sig. L2 Let thy smooth Low-fawning parasites renowne thy Act.
1831 Times 22 Aug. 5/6 We have not often seen vulgar vanity, impudent assumption, and, where it was necessary, low-fawning flattery, portrayed more strikingly.
low-flung adj. U.S. colloquial (depreciative) of low character or standing; uncultured, unmannerly; contemptible.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > ignobleness or baseness > [adjective]
theowlikec1175
low?c1225
undignec1315
unfreec1330
base?1518
roynish1570
baseborn1573
base-minded1573
haskardly1576
ignoble1592
unnoble1593
slavish1597
disnoble1609
infimous1613
unhandsome1645
unheroical1656
mean1665
unworthy1694
unheroic1732
raff1761
undignified1782
raffish1795
truculent1825
unpromotable1836
menial1837
low-flung1841
society > morality > moral evil > evil nature or character > lack of magnanimity or noble-mindedness > [adjective] > base or vile
low?c1225
lechera1300
vilea1300
feeblea1325
unfreec1330
villain1340
wrackc1375
villains1390
noughty1443
slovenly?1518
peasant1550
sluttish1561
vild1567
knaifatic1568
scallardc1575
base1576
tinkerly?1576
beggarly?1577
cullion-like1591
brokerly1592
broking1592
ignoble1592
cullionly1608
disnoble1609
unsolid1731
lowly1740
blackguard1751
blackguardly1779
menial1837
low-flung1841
caddish1868
basilar1884
bounding1904
bounderish1928
1841 Louisville (Kentucky) Public Advertiser 19 Apr. It is the bounded duty..of the Gazette, to refute the gross libels which low-flung creatures may utter and publish against us.
1874 Gleeson's Monthly Compan. Jan. 127/1 She wanted some remidy fer her husban's stayin' out o' nights, at low-flung taverns.
1914 E. M. Gilmer Mirandy xxiii. 197 What does Sis Alviry do when dat onery, low flung nigger come back home agin an' settled down on her to support him?
2003 C. Fisher Best Awful (2005) 217 The other more pathetic inhabitants of the bin you shared, those flying even lower than you and your low-flung coconspirators.
low-lit adj. dimly lit.
ΚΠ
1872 Birmingham Daily Post 20 Sept. 5/1 A dark-complexioned Spanish damsel and her cavalier are seated at table in a low lit room.
1970 K. Roberts Inner Wheel 23 The dance floor was low-lit, the boards shining amber.
2004 Times 15 May (The Knowledge section) 4 This smart eaterie furnished with..leather sofas and a hip, low-lit bar.
low-living adj. and n. (a) adj. that lives humbly or without luxury; (now usually) that lives licentiously or immorally; (b) n. the action or fact of living in this way.
ΚΠ
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xii. l. 265 (MED) To lowe lybbyng men þe larke is resembled.
1725 R. Drew Serm. Prison of Ludgate 22 His Brain had been distempered with high Feeding, but this low Living was Physick to him.
1805 A. A. Opie Adeline Mowbray III. iii. 137 She should do all that now remained to be done for her security, by low living and good air.
1891 J. A. Hobson Probl. of Poverty iii. 61 Where work is slack and difficult to get, a very small addition of low-living foreigners will cause a perceptible fall in the entire wages of the neighbourhood.
1948 C. Stead Little Tea, Little Chat xxviii. 195 His cousin Upton, whom he considered a blackhearted, low-living scoundrel.
1990 J. Eberts & T. Ilott My Indecision is Final xxxvi. 364 Colin MacInnes, a high-born but low-living British writer of the 1950s and 1960s.
2006 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 16 Aug. b4/2 Between songs, Kiki describes her early history with an uncaring mother and abusive father..; the seesaw career of high and low living.
low-loading adj. (a) that constitutes a low electrical load (now rare); (b) (of a vehicle) that carries its load low; that can be loaded at a low height; cf. low-loader n. at low adj. and n.2 Compounds 3.
ΚΠ
1928 U.K. Patent 302,617 1/2 Low loading heating elements may be provided towards the bottom of the collecting chamber.
1943 C. H. Ward-Jackson It's a Piece of Cake 50 Queen Mary, a type of long, low-loading, articulated vehicle specially designed for the road transportation of airframes.
1962 Times 8 May 16/5 The luggage boot, with its flat, low-loading floor.
2000 Adv. Driving (Inst. Adv. Motorists) Summer 31/2 Folding the standard split rear seats flat reveals a surprisingly useful load space, aided by a low loading sill.
low-paid adj. and n. (a) adj. (of an employee) that is paid a low wage; earning low pay; (of a job, etc.) that pays poorly; (b) n. (with the and plural agreement) low-paid employees as a class.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > poverty > [noun] > poor person > deprived or underprivileged people
low-paid1739
submerged tenth1890
submerged1897
dispossessed1901
underprivileged1935
wretched of the earth1965
society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > payment for labour or service > [adjective] > paid by wages > insufficiently paid
low-paid1739
underpaid1817
low-paying1825
1739 ‘Philalethes’ Case between Clothiers, Weavers, & Other Manufacturers 25 The low-paid diligent and sober Husbandman, who labours constantly.
1870 Fraser's Mag. Sept. 351/1 Beggary eked out by an occasional small and low-paid job of work for the most fortunate.
1889 Polit. Sci. Q. 4 576 With the aid of modern machinery, the high-priced American can produce commodities at a less price per unit than can the low-paid Asiatic.
1964 W. L. Goodman Hist. Woodworking Tools 138 Comparatively low-paid labourers.
1974 Times 5 Dec. 4/4 The TUC had..recognized the low-paid as a special case.
1987 T. Gallagher Glasgow, Uneasy Peace vi. 227 Long periods of unemployment perhaps punctuated by casual bouts of menial low-paid work.
2003 S. Brown Free Gift Inside! 117 Both [paintings] are produced in factory-like conditions by squads of low-paid assistants.
low-paying adj. that pays, or is paid, at a low rate.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > payment for labour or service > [adjective] > paid by wages > insufficiently paid
low-paid1739
underpaid1817
low-paying1825
1825 Trades' Newspaper & Mech. Weekly 25 Sept. 164/2 The low-paying houses say that they were obliged..to reduce.
1912 Investments Mar. 83/1 To prevent the recurrence of buying low-paying investments,..the prospective investor should get someone to help him who is experienced.
2012 G. T. Miller & S. E. Spoolman Sustaining Earth iv. 83/1 Many immigrants take menial and low-paying jobs that most other Americans shun.
low-reading adj. (of a meter) that can provide accurate readings at low levels.
ΚΠ
1886 Telegr. Jrnl. & Electr. Rev. 10 Sept. 272/1 A low-reading voltmeter that is not liable to change a true scale up to 15 volts.
1943 Resistance Welding Wrought Aluminium Alloys (Aluminium Federation) (1965) 58 The apparatus is simple and consists of a low-reading cross-coil ohmmeter, a 10 amp. 2 volt battery and two electrolytic copper electrodes.
1993 Jrnl. Trop. Pediatrics 39 6/1 All the temperatures were taken with a low-reading mercury-in-glass thermometer.
low-scoring adj. that does not achieve a high score; (of a game) not featuring many goals, points, etc.
ΚΠ
1886 B. N. Pierce Wyandotte Culture 74 We have..abandoned the opinion that low scoring fowls, under any circumstances, can equal those capable of reaching high scores in the breeding yard.
1889 Aberdeen Weekly Jrnl. 23 May 3/6 They quite surprised themselves..by winning a very low-scoring game by 5 runs.
1922 M. E. Haggerty Rural School Surv. N.Y. State vi. 139 The injustice of advancing these low-scoring pupils.
1998 Economist 21 Mar. 69/2 Soccer is a low-scoring game; there is only one convenient advertisement break; the pay is low; and America is not very good at it.
2012 Grimsby Tel. (Nexis) 28 Nov. 37 The low-scoring game was due to the solid defensive displays from both sides.
low-slung adj. (a) lower in height or closer to the ground than is usual or normal; (b) (of clothes, especially trousers) cut to fit low on the hips rather than around the waist; cf. low rider n. 2.
ΚΠ
1840 London Mag. Feb. 11/1 Seeing, however, the words ‘patent safety’, gilt in glowing invitation upon one of Hansom's low-slung street-scourers, he stept into it, bag and baggage.
1931 Morning Post 21 Aug. 11/7 His low-slung car simply hurtled down the straight and was lost to view.
2010 Daily Tel. 4 Oct. 12/5 A square-cut tunic, trailing a fringed scarf, with the same low-slung trousers.
low-spoken adj. quietly or softly spoken.
ΚΠ
1830 Virginia Free Press 17 Nov. Never a sad, low-spoken word Hath plead with thy human heart unheard.
1855 E. C. Gaskell North & South I. x. 120 Some trivial, low-spoken remark.
2009 N.Y. Post (Nexis) 20 Nov. 21 He was a quiet boy—low-spoken and shy.
low-yielding adj. that produces a low yield.
ΚΠ
1861 Daily News 27 Aug. 6/5 The change in the course of investments which..has operated greatly to the prejudice of those low-yielding securities.
1968 Economist 2 Mar. 61/2 Town and City has always been a favourite low-yielding property share.
2002 Guardian 11 Dec. ii. 16/4 The criollo bean is from a low-yielding plant yet is highly flavoured.
C2. In combination with another adverb, used as an intensifier.
† low deep adv. Obsolete very deep.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > low position > [adverb] > very low
low deep1595
1595 S. Daniel First Fowre Bks. Ciuile Warres i. xcviii. sig. Fv Pry Into the low deepe buried sinnes long past.
a1649 W. Drummond Poems (1656) 111 He..will not deny you Grace, But low-deep bury faults, so ye repent.
?1772 T. Gent tr. H. Dering Hist. Antiq. i. 4 in Poet. Pieces What wealthy Towns their Heads o'er Rivers rear! What Walls, what trembling Shades low deep appear!
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1eOEn.3a1522n.41535adj.n.2c1175v.1OEv.2c1175v.3a1382adv.c1225
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