meekly en · ADV
Pronunciation
- /miːk.li/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle English mekely, mekeliche, equivalent to meek + -ly. Compare Old Norse mjúkliga.
Meanings
-
In a meek manner; quietly and humbly.
When Faith and Love which parted from thee never Had ripen'd thy just soul to dwell with God, Meekly thou did'st resign this earthly load Of Death, call'd Life; which us from Life doth sever.
1673, John Milton, When Faith and Love which parted from thee never:It comes from the Latin insurgo, meaning “to rise up within”: so insurrectionists are, etymologically, the same as “insurgents”, even if that is normally a word for those who do not meekly accept western military rule.
2021 January 13, Steven Poole, “'Insurrection': how an old word for an old thing was Trumped”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 20 Jan 2021:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most meekly | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more meekly | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Translations (7)
es mansamente (quietly) · ml വിനീതം (quietly) · ru смире́нно (quietly) · fr humblement (quietly) · ru кро́тко (quietly) · ml സൌമ്യമായി (quietly) · pl arcyskromnie (quietly)