Etymology From Middle English lowe, lohe, lāh, from Old Norse lágr (“low”), from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz (“lying, flat, situated near the ground, low”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”). Cognate with Scots laich (“low”), Saterland Frisian läich (“low”), West Frisian leech (“low”), Dutch laag (“low”), obsolete German läg (“low”), German Low German leeg, leeg' (“low”), Danish lav (“low”), Faroese, Icelandic lágur (“low”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish låg (“low”). More at lie.
Situated close to, or even below, the ground or another normal reference plane; not high or lofty.
standing on low ground
in a low valley, ringed by low hills
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a low wall a low shelf
Narrative friezes in low relief were characteristic of Ionic architecture.2012, Tyler Jo Smith, Dimitris Plantzos, A Companion to Greek Art, →ISBN:
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Pertaining to (or, especially of a language: spoken in) in an area which is at a lesser elevation, closer to sea level (especially near the sea), than other regions.
Of less than normal height or upward extent or growth, or of greater than normal depth or recession; below the average or normal level from which elevation is measured.
a low bow
a low tide
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the Mississippi is unusually low right now
It is a little low hearb […]1607 (edition of 1967), Edward Topsell, The history of four-footed beasts
The men are well-proportioned, rather low than tall, have a brown complexion, and reserved countenance.1795, James Cavanah Murphy, Travels in Portugal, page 15:
"Now you mention her, I do remember the young lady," said Mrs. Grantly; "a dark girl, very low, and without much figure. She seemed to me to keep very much in the background."1911(?), Anthony Trollope, Framley Parsonage, page 13
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Low-cut.
Again, observe the unmeaningness of the low neck fashion. Our mothers wore low dresses and bare arms all day long; they knew if their shoulders and arms were beautiful they would look as well by daylight as by candlelight; […]1878, Mary Eliza Joy Haweis, The Art of Beauty, London: Chatto & Windus, page 83:
Why do girls wear low dresses?1917, George Amos Dorsey, Young Low, page 195:
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Not high in status, esteem, or rank, dignity, or quality. (Compare vulgar.)
low birth
low rank
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the low officials of the bureaucracy
low-quality fabric
playing low tricks on them
a person of low mind
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Humble, meek, not haughty.
God loves an humble soul. It is not our high birth, but our low hearts God delights in.1829, Thomas Watson, Discourses on Important and Interesting Subjects:
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Disparaging; assigning little value or excellence.
She had a low opinion of cats. He took a low view of dogs.
The humble soul has low thoughts of his own person; as David, 'I am a worm, and no man.'1826, Ebenezer Erskine, The Whole Works of the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, Sermon VII, page 103:
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Being a nadir, a bottom.
the low point in her career
Virginia, for example, reached such a low point in her junior year that she briefly considered suicide [...]2012, Faith Hartmann, Only a Fool Would Have Believed It in the First Place, →ISBN:
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Depressed in mood, dejected, sad.
low spirits
As low as I felt, at least I didn't have Hunding's [miserable] job.2016, Rick Riordan, The Hammer of Thor, page 33:
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Lacking health or vitality, strength or vivacity; feeble; weak.
a low pulse
made (or: laid) low by sickness
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Video games Having few hit points remaining; damaged.
Roleplaying games
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Dead. (Compare lay low.)
And wilt thou weep when I am low?1830, George Gordon Byron Baron Byron, Byron's Poems, page 511:
[L]et the mournful martial music blow; / The last great Englishman is low.1852, Alfred Tennyson, “Stanza III”, in Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 6:
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Small, not high (in amount or quantity, value, force, energy, etc).
My credit union charges a low interest rate. Jogging during a whiteout, with such low temperatures and low visibility, is dangerous. The store sold bread at low prices, and milk at even lower prices. The contractors gave a low estimate of the costs. low cholesterol a low voltage wire a low number
Unfortunately, low winds were the rule over the local waters and this craft was no better, if as good, as ordinary sailboats under such conditions.1989, Bernard Smith, Sailloons and Fliptackers: The Limits to High-speed Sailing, →ISBN:
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The ability to shift profits to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them, which is then licensed to related businesses in high-tax countries, is often assumed to be the preserve of high-tech companies. […] current tax rules make it easy for all sorts of firms to generate […] “stateless income”: profit subject to tax in a jurisdiction that is neither the location of the factors of production that generate the income nor where the parent firm is domiciled.2013 June 22, “T time”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2023, page 68:
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Having a small or comparatively smaller concentration of (a substance, which is often but not always linked by "in" when predicative).
diets low in vitamin A
made from low-carbon steel
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Depleted, or nearing deletion; lacking in supply.
running low on cash
When silica is in low supply other classes of algae dominate the phytoplankton composition.2002, V.N. Bashkin, Robert W. Howarth, Modern Biogeochemistry, →ISBN, page 151:
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Especially, In biology Simple in complexity or development.
low protozoan animals, low cryptogamic plants, and other low organisms
In the case of languages spoken by very low races, like the Puris and the Tasmanians, the difficulty of deciding such a point must be very great.1870, Edward Burnett Tylor, Researches Into the Early History of Mankind and the Development of Civilization, page 80:
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In several set phrases Favoring simplicity (see e.g. low church, Low Tory).
Among them there was none more low, more pious, more sincere, or more given to interference. To teach Mr. Worth his duty as a parish clergyman was evidently a necessity to such a bishop.1881, Anthony Trollope, Dr. Wortle's School: A Novel, page 6:
[…] and give a judgment against not only Denison, but the Church's doctrine; and that, it having once been given, we shall not get it reversed; and that the Church of England will seem to be committed to Low doctrine, which […]1889, Reginald Garton Wilberforce, Life of Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford and Winchester, page 152:
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In several set phrases Being near the equator.
the low northern latitudes
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Grave in pitch, due to being produced by relatively slow vibrations (wave oscillations); flat.
The note was too low for her to sing.
Generally, European men have lower voices than their Indian counterparts.
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Quiet; soft; not loud.
They spoke in low voices so I would not hear what they were saying.
Why would you want to play heavy metal at such a low volume?
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Speak low if you speak love.1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
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Human sciences, Linguistics, Phonetics, Phonology, Sciences Made with a relatively large opening between the tongue and the palate; made with (part of) the tongue positioned low in the mouth, relative to the palate.
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Card games, Games Lesser in value than other cards, denominations, suits, etc.
a low card
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Archaic Not rich or seasoned; offering the minimum of nutritional requirements; plain, simple.
The Physicians ordered a low diet, and cooling ptisans in great abundance.1789, John Moore, Zeluco, Valancourt, published 2008, page 173:
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Of an automobile Designed for a slow (or the slowest) speed.
Etymology From Middle English lowe, lohe, lāh, from Old Norse lágr (“low”), from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz (“lying, flat, situated near the ground, low”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”). Cognate with Scots laich (“low”), Saterland Frisian läich (“low”), West Frisian leech (“low”), Dutch laag (“low”), obsolete German läg (“low”), German Low German leeg, leeg' (“low”), Danish lav (“low”), Faroese, Icelandic lágur (“low”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish låg (“low”). More at lie.
A low point or position, literally (as, a depth) or figuratively (as, a nadir, a time when things are at their worst, least, minimum, etc).
You have achieved a new low in behavior, Frank.
Economic growth has hit a new low.
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Unemployment has reached a ten-year low.
During the 1960s and 1970s, when both the quality of architecture and the appreciation of historic buildings reached an all-time low, British Railways was notorious for replacing good station buildings and canopies with little more than bus shelters, usually in conjunction with de-staffing.2020 December 2, Anthony Lambert, “Reimagining Railway Stations”, in Rail, page 38:
He also called for the US and China to rebuild their fractured relationship, which has plunged to new lows this year, but which Guterres said was “crucial” to climate action.2022 November 4, Fiona Harvey, “UN chief warns ‘we will be doomed’ without historic climate pact”, in The Guardian:
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The minimum atmospheric temperature recorded at a particular location, especially during one 24-hour period.
Today's low was 32 °F.
A cold one out there today, with lows reaching 33 degrees.
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A period of depression; a depressed mood or situation.
He is in a low right now. the highs and lows of bipolar disorder
Etymology From Middle English lowe, lohe, lāh, from Old Norse lágr (“low”), from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz (“lying, flat, situated near the ground, low”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”). Cognate with Scots laich (“low”), Saterland Frisian läich (“low”), West Frisian leech (“low”), Dutch laag (“low”), obsolete German läg (“low”), German Low German leeg, leeg' (“low”), Danish lav (“low”), Faroese, Icelandic lágur (“low”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish låg (“low”). More at lie.
Can sing both high and low.c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:
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With a low voice or sound; not loudly; gently.
to speak low
[T]he amorous, odorous wind, / Breathes low between the sunset and the moon, […]1832 December (indicated as 1833), Alfred Tennyson, “Eleanore”, in Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 31:
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Under the usual price; at a moderate price; cheaply.
He sold his wheat low.
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In a low mean condition; humbly; meanly.
But ever since the concept of "hamartia" recurred through Aristotle's Poetics, in an attempt to describe man's ingrained iniquity, our impulse has been to identify a telling defect in those brought suddenly and dramatically low.2014 October 21, Oliver Brown, “Oscar Pistorius jailed for five years – sport afforded no protection against his tragic fallibilities: Bladerunner's punishment for killing Reeva Steenkamp is but a frippery when set against the burden that her bereft parents, June and Barry, must carry [print version: No room for sentimentality in this tragedy, 13 September 2014, p. S22]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Sport):
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In a time approaching our own.
In that part of the world which was first inhabited, […] even as low down as Abraham's time, they wandered with their flocks and herds.1689 December (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], Two Treatises of Government: […], London: […] Awnsham Churchill, […], →OCLC:
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Astronomy, Natural sciences In a path near the equator, so that the declination is small, or near the horizon, so that the altitude is small; said of the heavenly bodies with reference to the diurnal revolution.
The moon runs low, i.e. comparatively near the horizon when on or near the meridian.
Etymology From Middle English lowe, lohe, lāh, from Old Norse lágr (“low”), from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz (“lying, flat, situated near the ground, low”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”). Cognate with Scots laich (“low”), Saterland Frisian läich (“low”), West Frisian leech (“low”), Dutch laag (“low”), obsolete German läg (“low”), German Low German leeg, leeg' (“low”), Danish lav (“low”), Faroese, Icelandic lágur (“low”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish låg (“low”). More at lie.
I shall only say this, that all the other graces must low the sail to faith, and so it is faith must carry us through, being that last triumphing grace, […]1654 (edition of 1762), Andrew Gray, The Works of … Andrew Gray [Edited by R. Trail and J. Stirling], page 112
Now to use these as Hypotheseis, as himself in his Word, is pleas'd to low himself to our capacities, is allowable:1661 (edition of 1885), Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica: … Vanity of Dogmatizing, page 85
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The merry fowks that were the ben, / By this time 'gan to low their strain1790, Andrew Shirrefs, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, page 219:
She was quite free of bad inventions, / But was a bitch o high pretenfions, / For the grit folk o' a dimensions, / Ran for her breed; / Dog-officers may low their pensions, / Since Venie's dead, 'Twas past the art o'man to cure her, / […]1807, James Ruickbie, The Way-side Cottager; … Miscellaneous Poems, page 178:
Dat 'ill be somtin' ta hise an' low wi' a ütterly breeze.1899 May 6, Shetland News:
low
verb
UK /ləʊ/ · US /loʊ/
Etymology From Middle English lowen (“to low”), from Old English hlōwan (“to low; to bellow; to roar”), from Proto-Germanic *hlōaną (“to call; shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call”). Cognate with Dutch loeien (“to low”), Middle High German lüejen (“to roar”), dialectal Swedish lumma (“to roar”), Latin calō (“to call”), Ancient Greek καλέω (kaléō), Latin clāmō (“to shout, claim”). More at claim.
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To moo.
The cattle were lowing.
In peals of thunder now she roars--and now / She gently whimpers like a lowing cow1726, Jonathan Swift, “The Lamentations of Glumdalclitch for the Loss of Grildrig”, in Gulliver's Travels, A Voyage to Brobdingnag:
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The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea.1750, Thomas Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
It would have been a great privilege to be the mistress of an old time-honoured mansion, to call oaks and elms her own, to know that acres of gardens were submitted to her caprices, to look at herds of cows and oxen, and be aware that they lowed on her own pastures.1869 May, Anthony Trollope, “The Honourable Mr. Glascock”, in He Knew He Was Right, volume I, London: Strahan and Company, […], →OCLC, page 107:
low
noun
Etymology From Middle English lowe, loghe, from Old Norse logi (“fire, flame, sword”), from Proto-Germanic *lugô (“flame, blaze”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“light”). Cognate with Icelandic logi (“flame”), Swedish låga (“flame”), Danish lue (“flame”), German Lohe (“blaze, flames”), North Frisian leag (“fire, flame”), Old English līeġ (“fire, flame, lightning”). More at More at leye and More at light.
She was, as one of them expressed himself, in a light low (bright flame) when they observed a king's ship, with her colours up, heave in sight from behind the cape. The guns of the burning vessel discharged themselves […]1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC, page 85:
A boy fell aff his chair a' in a low, for the discharge had set him on fire […]1843, John Wilson, The Noctes Ambrosianœ of "Blackwood"., page 478:
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[…] and he was sure to light of a verse blazing wi' a blue brimstone low that set all straight.1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Mr. Yorke (continued)”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 76:
And methought the whole world was lighted in a lowe, and with a great cry I awoke out of the dream.1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 19:
low
verb
Etymology From Middle English lowe, loghe, from Old Norse logi (“fire, flame, sword”), from Proto-Germanic *lugô (“flame, blaze”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“light”). Cognate with Icelandic logi (“flame”), Swedish låga (“flame”), Danish lue (“flame”), German Lohe (“blaze, flames”), North Frisian leag (“fire, flame”), Old English līeġ (“fire, flame, lightning”). More at More at leye and More at light.
Driest wood will eithest low,1724 (edition of 1788), Allan Ramsay, The Tea-Table Miscellany, page 23
They scarcely left to co'er their fuds, To quench their lowan drouth.1785, Robert Burns, The Jolly Beggars:
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[…] in every crevice; and each individual brick shone and “lowed” with the intense heat. “As I am a Christian man,” thought he, “this is verily the mouth of the pit; and I am lost — lost for ever, for —”1870, Edward Peacock, Ralf Skirlaugh, the Lincolnshire Squire: A Novel, page 197:
Sand, striking a light with his flint and steel, and transferring the flame when it lowed up to the bowl of his tiny elf's pipe, so small that it just let in the top of his little finger as he settled the tobacco in it as it began to burn.1894, Samuel Rutherford Crockett, The Raiders, page 82:
The next I saw, James parried a thrust so nearly that I thought him killed; and it lowed up in my mind that this was the girl's father, and in a manner almost my own, and I drew and ran in to sever them.1895, Robert Louis Stevenson, Works, page 382:
low
noun
Etymology From Old English hlāw, hlǣw (“burial mound”), from Proto-West Germanic *hlaiw. Obsolete by the 19th century, survives in toponymy as -low.